Shloka 8
दुर्योधनस्य कर्णप्रार्थना — कृपकर्णसंवादः
Duryodhana’s Appeal to Karna — The Kripa–Karna Dialogue
ब्रद्माण्यं वीर्यसम्पन्नं समरेष्वनिवर्तिनम् । कथं कर्ण युधां श्रेष्ठ योधयामास पाण्डव:,जो ब्राह्मणभक्त, पराक्रमसम्पन्न और समरभूमिमें कभी पीछे न हटनेवाला है, योद्धाओंमें श्रेष्ठ उस कर्णके साथ भीमसेनने किस प्रकार युद्ध किया?
sañjaya uvāca |
brāhmaṇyaṁ vīryasampannaṁ samareṣv anivartinam |
kathaṁ karṇa yudhāṁ śreṣṭha yodhayāmāsa pāṇḍavaḥ ||
Sañjaya said: “How did Bhīmasena, the Pāṇḍava, engage in battle with Karṇa—foremost among warriors—who was devoted to brāhmaṇas, endowed with great prowess, and never turned back in the clashes of war?”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how a warrior’s public virtues—valor, steadfastness, and reverence for brāhmaṇas—shape reputation in dharma-centered literature, and it frames battle as a test of steadfast conduct (not retreating) alongside ethical identity.
Sañjaya, narrating events to Dhṛtarāṣṭra, poses a pointed question about the encounter: how Bhīma managed to fight Karṇa, who is portrayed as exceptionally formidable and unwavering on the battlefield.