Shloka 783
प्रादुश्षक्रे महामायां कर्ण प्रति महारथम् | तब महाबली भीमसेनकुमारने जोर-जोरसे हँसकर समरभूमिमें महारथी कर्णके प्रति अपनी महामाया प्रकट की
prāduśśakre mahāmāyāṃ karṇa prati mahāratham | tadā mahābalī bhīmasenakumāraḥ jora-jora-se haṃsann iva samarabhūmau mahārathī karṇaṃ prati svāṃ mahāmāyāṃ prakaṭayām āsa |
Sañjaya said: Then the mighty son of Bhīmasena, laughing loudly, revealed a great illusion on the battlefield against Karṇa, the foremost chariot-warrior. In the moral atmosphere of the war, this moment underscores how, alongside valor and skill, stratagem and deceptive appearances could be deployed to unsettle an opponent—raising questions about the limits of righteous conduct amid a desperate struggle.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even in a war framed as a dharma-yuddha, combat often involves psychological pressure and tactical deception. The verse invites reflection on where righteous strategy ends and ethically troubling illusion begins, especially when survival and victory are at stake.
Sañjaya narrates that the powerful son of Bhīma, laughing loudly, displays a formidable illusion on the battlefield directed against Karṇa, the great chariot-warrior—an attempt to confound and overpower him through māyā as well as force.