Shloka 28
Kṛpa’s Archery Display; Śikhaṇḍin Checked; Suketu Slain; Dhṛṣṭadyumna–Kṛtavarmā Clash (कृपशौर्य–पार्षतहार्दिक्ययुद्धम्)
शृगालो5पि वने कर्ण शशै: परिवृतो वसन् | मन्यते सिंहमात्मानं यावत् सिंहं न पश्यति,“कर्ण! वनमें खरगोशोंके साथ रहनेवाला गीदड़ भी जबतक सिंहको नहीं देखता, तबतक अपनेको सिंह ही मानता रहता है
śṛgālo 'pi vane karṇa śaśaiḥ parivṛto vasan | manyate siṃham ātmānaṃ yāvat siṃhaṃ na paśyati ||
Sañjaya said: “O Karṇa, even a jackal living in the forest, surrounded by hares, imagines himself to be a lion—so long as he has not yet seen a real lion.” The saying warns that false confidence thrives in the absence of a true standard of strength and virtue; when genuine power appears, pretension is exposed.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Confidence based on weak company or lack of challenge becomes delusion; true worth is tested when one meets a genuinely powerful and noble opponent. The verse cautions against pride and urges realistic self-assessment.
Sañjaya addresses Karṇa with a sharp proverb: like a jackal among hares thinking itself a lion until it encounters a real lion, a warrior may overestimate himself until faced with a truly formidable adversary. It functions as a warning within the war narrative.