Shloka 26
चराचरैस्त्रिभिलोेंकैियों $जय्यो रथिनां वर: । तं॑ हत्वाद्य महाबाहो विजयस्तव फाल्गुन,“इस सेनामें एकमात्र महाधनुर्धर सूतपुत्र कर्ण विराजमान है, जो रथियोंमें श्रेष्ठ है तथा जिसे देवता, असुर, गन्धर्व, किन्नर, बड़े-बड़े नाग एवं चराचर प्राणियोंसहित तीनों लोकोंके लोग मिलकर भी नहीं जीत सकते। महाबाहु फाल्गुन! आज उसी कर्णको मारकर तुम्हारी विजय होगी और मेरे हृदयमें बारह वर्षोंसे जो सेल कसक रहा है, वह निकल जायगा। महाबाहो! ऐसा जानकर तुम्हारी जैसी इच्छा हो, वैसे व्यूहकी रचना करो”
carācarais tribhir lokaiḥ ajayyo rathināṃ varaḥ | taṃ hatvādya mahābāho vijayas tava phālguna ||
Sañjaya said: “Karna, the charioteer’s son, stands here as the lone great bowman of this host—foremost among chariot-warriors—one whom even the three worlds, with all moving and unmoving beings, cannot together overcome. Yet, O mighty-armed Phālguna, by slaying that very Karna today, victory will be yours. Then the long-borne anguish that has pressed upon my heart for twelve years will be lifted. Knowing this, O strong-armed one, arrange the battle-formation as you deem fit.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even the mightiest warrior can be portrayed as ‘unconquerable,’ yet the epic frames victory as arising from decisive action aligned with a larger moral and cosmic order. The verse highlights the ethical weight of confronting formidable power and the relief that comes when a long-standing injustice or suffering is finally resolved.
Sañjaya addresses Arjuna (Phālguna), emphasizing Karna’s extraordinary prowess—said to be unbeatable even by the three worlds—yet predicting that Arjuna will defeat and kill him that very day. He urges Arjuna to arrange the battle formation according to his will, underscoring the strategic and climactic nature of the coming encounter.