Shloka 9
दुर्योधनस्य कर्णप्रार्थना — कृपकर्णसंवादः
Duryodhana’s Appeal to Karna — The Kripa–Karna Dialogue
यौ तौ समीयतुर्वीरी वैकर्तनवृकोदरौ । कथं तावत्र युध्येतां महाबलपराक्रमौ,जो वीर पहले आपसमें भिड़ चुके थे, वे ही महान् बल और पराक्रमसे सम्पन्न कर्ण और भीमसेन यहाँ पुन: कैसे युद्धमें प्रवृत्त हुए?
yau tau samīyatur vīrī vaikartanavṛkodarau | kathaṃ tāv atra yudhyetāṃ mahābalaparākramau ||
Sañjaya said: Those two heroes—Karna, the son of the charioteer (Vaikartana), and Bhīmasena, the wolf-bellied (Vṛkodara)—who had already met in combat before: how did they here again engage in battle, both endowed with immense strength and fearless prowess? Implicit in the question is the relentless compulsion of kṣatriya-war and fate: even after prior clashes, the demands of duty, rivalry, and the larger course of the war drive the same champions back into confrontation.
संजय उवाच