Shloka 3
Karṇa-parva Adhyāya 19 — Saṃśaptaka–Trigarta Assault and Aindra-astra Counter
संजय उवाच भीष्मद्रोणकृपद्रौणिकर्णार्जुनजनार्दनान् | समाप्तविद्यान् धनुषि श्रेष्ठान् यान् मन्यसे रथान्,संजयने कहा--राजन्! भीष्म, द्रोण, कृपाचार्य, अश्वत्थामा, कर्ण, अर्जुन तथा श्रीकृष्ण आदि जिन वीरोंको आप पूर्ण विद्वान, थनुर्वेदमें श्रेष्ठ तथा महारथी मानते हैं, इन सब महारथियोंको जो अपने पराक्रमके समक्ष तुच्छ समझता था, जो किसी भी नरेशको अपने समान नहीं मानता था, जो द्रोण और भीष्मके साथ अपनी तुलना नहीं सह सकता था और जिसने श्रीकृष्ण तथा अर्जुनसे भी अपनेमें तनिक भी न्यूनता माननेकी इच्छा नहीं की, उसी सम्पूर्ण शस्त्रधारियोंमें श्रेष्ठ नृपशिरोमणि पाण्ड्यने अपमानित हुए यमराजके समान कुपित हो कर्णकी सेनाका वध आरम्भ किया
sañjaya uvāca—bhīṣma-droṇa-kṛpa-drauṇi-karṇārjuna-janārdanān | samāpta-vidyān dhanuṣi śreṣṭhān yān manyase rathān nṛpa ||
Sañjaya said: O king, those warriors—Bhīṣma, Droṇa, Kṛpa, Aśvatthāmā, Karṇa, Arjuna, and Janārdana (Śrī Kṛṣṇa)—whom you regard as fully accomplished in learning, foremost in archery, and pre-eminent chariot-fighters: (with reference to them) the narrative turns to a ruler who, scorning even such masters as insignificant before his own prowess, acknowledging no king as his equal, refusing comparison with Bhīṣma and Droṇa, and unwilling to admit even the slightest inferiority to Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna, became enraged like Yama when insulted and began the slaughter of Karṇa’s forces.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds a moral contrast between genuine mastery (complete learning and disciplined excellence in archery) and the corrosive force of pride. By listing the foremost warriors, it frames the ethical warning that arrogance can lead one to dismiss even the greatest, provoking reckless violence and escalating destruction in war.
Sañjaya addresses Dhṛtarāṣṭra and names the elite chariot-warriors—Bhīṣma, Droṇa, Kṛpa, Aśvatthāmā, Karṇa, Arjuna, and Kṛṣṇa—whom the king considers supreme. The narration then pivots to describe a fiercely proud ruler who, after being insulted, becomes wrathful and begins attacking and killing soldiers in Karṇa’s army.