Shloka 24
दुर्योधनस्य कर्णप्रार्थना — कृपकर्णसंवादः
Duryodhana’s Appeal to Karna — The Kripa–Karna Dialogue
भीमसेनस्तदाद्धानं कर्णन्नामर्षयद् युधि । अर्धमण्डलमावृत्य सूतपुत्रमयोधयत्,कर्णकी ओरसे रणक्षेत्रमें वह युद्धकी ललकार भीमसेन न सह सके। उन्होंने अर्धमण्डल गतिसे घूमकर सूतपुत्रके साथ युद्ध आरम्भ कर दिया
bhīmasenas tadādhvānaṃ karṇan nāmarṣayad yudhi | ardha-maṇḍalam āvṛtya sūtaputram ayodhayat ||
On the battlefield, Bhīmasena could not endure Karṇa’s war-cry and challenge. Wheeling about in a half-circle maneuver, he closed in and began to fight the charioteer’s son, Karṇa—driven by wrath and the compulsion to answer a public provocation in the midst of war.
कर्ण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the warrior-ethic of the battlefield: a public challenge (ādhvāna) demands response, and honor and anger can compel immediate engagement. It also hints at the moral tension in war—valor and duty are intertwined with personal rivalry and intolerance of insult.
Karṇa describes how Bhīma, unable to bear Karṇa’s battle-cry, turns in a semicircular tactical motion (ardha-maṇḍala) and directly engages Karṇa in combat, initiating a focused duel amid the larger war.