Shloka 22
कुण्डलाभ्यां निमायाथ दिव्येन कवचेन च । तां प्राप्पामन्यत वृष: सतत त्वां हतं रणे,महाबाहो! जबसे महात्मा इन्द्रने कर्णको उसके दिव्य कवच और कुण्डलोंके बदलेमें अपनी शक्ति दी थी, जिसे उसने घटोत्कचपर चला दिया है, उस शक्तिको पाकर धर्मात्मा कर्ण सदा तुम्हें रणभूमिमें मारा गया ही मानता था
kuṇḍalābhyāṃ nimāyātha divyena kavacena ca | tāṃ prāpya manyata vṛṣaḥ satataṃ tvāṃ hataṃ raṇe, mahābāho ||
Vāyu said: “Having bartered away his earrings and his divine cuirass, and having obtained that (invincible) power in return, Vṛṣa (Karna) constantly regarded you, O mighty-armed one, as already slain on the battlefield.”
श्रीवायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how extraordinary boons and weapons can distort judgment: possessing a decisive power, Karna assumes certainty of victory and treats Arjuna’s death as inevitable. Ethically, it cautions against overconfidence and the moral ambiguity of gains obtained through bargaining away sacred protections.
Vāyu reports Karna’s mindset after he traded away his divine armor and earrings and received a formidable power in exchange. With that power in hand (later used against Ghaṭotkaca in the broader episode), Karna continually believed Arjuna would be slain in battle.