Shloka 2536
विमदान् रथशार्दूलान् कुरुते रणमूर्थनि । महाबाहु कर्ण युद्धमें कुशल है। उसका धनुष सदा उठा ही रहता है। वनमें दहाड़नेवाले सिंहके समान वह सदा गर्जता रहता है। जैसे मतवाला हाथी कितने ही यूथपतियोंको मदरहित कर देता है, उसी प्रकार कर्ण युद्धके मुहानेपर सिंहके समान पराक्रमी महारथियोंका भी घमंड चूर कर देता है
vimadān rathaśārdūlān kurute raṇamūrdhani | mahābāhuḥ karṇaḥ yuddhe kuśalaḥ | tasya dhanuḥ sadā uccṛtam eva tiṣṭhati | vane dahāḍan-siṃha iva sa sadā garjati | yathā mattaḥ hastī bahūn yūthapatīn vimadān karoti tathā karṇaḥ yuddha-mukhe siṃha-sadṛśa-parākramaḥ mahārathānām api darpaṃ cūrṇayati ||
Vāyu-deva said: “On the very crest of battle Karṇa makes even the tiger-like chariot-warriors lose their pride. Mighty-armed and skilled in war, his bow is ever raised; like a lion roaring in the forest, he continually thunders. And just as a rutting elephant strips many herd-leaders of their intoxication, so does Karṇa at the mouth of combat shatter the arrogance even of great chariot-fighters.”
श्रीवायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how true martial excellence exposes and breaks mere arrogance: pride (darpa) collapses when confronted by disciplined skill and unwavering readiness. Ethically, it warns that status and self-conceit are fragile in the face of real capability and resolve.
Vāyu-deva describes Karṇa at the forefront of battle, portraying him as constantly prepared with bow raised, roaring like a lion, and humbling even elite warriors—using vivid similes of a forest lion and a musth elephant overpowering herd-leaders.