Shloka 17
Adhyāya 35 — Bhīmasena’s Counter-Encirclement and the Karṇa Engagement Escalation
दुर्योधनस्तु राधेयमिदं वचनमत्रवीत् । अकृतं द्रोणभीष्माभ्यां दुष्करं कर्म संयुगे
duryodhanas tu rādheyam idaṁ vacanam atravīt | akṛtaṁ droṇa-bhīṣmābhyāṁ duṣkaraṁ karma saṁyuge ||
Sañjaya said: Duryodhana then addressed Radheya (Karna) with these words: “In battle, a formidable deed remains unaccomplished—one that even Droṇa and Bhīṣma could not bring to completion.” The remark frames Duryodhana’s reliance on Karna as both a strategic necessity and a moral pressure, invoking the prestige of elder warriors to spur Karna toward an extraordinary, potentially perilous act.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how leaders use comparison and reputation to motivate action: Duryodhana frames the task as so difficult that even revered elders (Droṇa and Bhīṣma) could not accomplish it, thereby intensifying Karna’s sense of honor and obligation. Ethically, it points to the power—and danger—of pride-based motivation in war.
Sañjaya reports that Duryodhana turns to Karna and introduces a critical battlefield objective, describing it as an arduous feat left undone even by Droṇa and Bhīṣma. The statement sets up Duryodhana’s appeal to Karna as the warrior expected to achieve what others could not.