Shloka 9
भीमसेन–अलायुधयुद्धम् / Bhīmasena and Alāyudha: Night Engagement and Command Responses
यस्य वीर्य समाश्रित्य शमं याचन्तमच्युतम् । तृणवत् तमहं मन्ये स कर्णो निर्जितो युधि,“जिसके पराक्रमका आश्रय लेकर मैंने संधिकी याचना करनेवाले श्रीकृष्णको तिनकेके समान समझा था, वह कर्ण युद्धमें पराजित हो गया”
yasya vīrya-samāśritya śamaṃ yācantam acyutam | tṛṇavat tam ahaṃ manye sa karṇo nirjito yudhi ||
Sañjaya said: “Relying on the might of that warrior, I once deemed Acyuta—Śrī Kṛṣṇa—who came seeking peace, as insignificant as a blade of grass. Yet that very Karṇa has now been defeated in battle.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical danger of arrogance: dismissing a righteous peace effort—especially when led by Kṛṣṇa—reveals moral blindness. Martial strength is unstable, and pride built on another’s prowess collapses when fortune and dharma turn.
Sañjaya reflects that he once belittled Kṛṣṇa’s peace-seeking role, trusting in Karṇa’s valor; now he reports the reversal—Karṇa has been defeated in the war—underscoring the collapse of that confidence.