Shloka 1
कर्ण-पाण्डव-संमर्दः — Karṇa and Arjuna’s Intensified Engagement
धृतराष्ट्रने कहा--संजय! भृगुवंशशिरोमणि धनुर्धर परशुरामजी साक्षात् भगवान् शंकरके शिष्य हैं तथा कर्ण उन्हींका शिष्यत्व ग्रहण करके अस्त्रविद्यामें उनके समान ही सुयोग्य हो गया था
dhṛtarāṣṭra uvāca—sañjaya! bhṛguvaṁśa-śiromaṇi dhanuḥdharaḥ paraśurāmaḥ sākṣāt bhagavān śaṅkarasya śiṣyaḥ; tathā karṇaḥ tasyaiva śiṣyatvaṁ gṛhītvā astravidyāyāṁ tasya-sadṛśaḥ su-yogyaḥ abhavat.
Dhṛtarāṣṭra said: “Sañjaya, Paraśurāma—the foremost jewel of the Bhṛgu lineage and a master archer—was himself a disciple of Lord Śaṅkara. Karṇa, having accepted discipleship under that very Paraśurāma, became in the science of weapons fully qualified, comparable to his teacher.”
कर्ण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage underscores the ethical and cultural authority of the guru–śiṣya lineage: mastery in weapons is legitimized through disciplined discipleship under an eminent teacher whose own learning is rooted in a divine source (Śiva).
Dhṛtarāṣṭra asks Sañjaya about Karṇa’s standing by recalling Paraśurāma’s greatness and stating that Karṇa, trained by Paraśurāma, became highly accomplished in astravidyā—nearly equal to his teacher.