Shloka 21
कर्णपरर्वणि त्रयोचत्वारिंशदध्यायः (Karṇa-parva Adhyāya 43) — Kṛṣṇa’s Battlefield Assessment and the Reversal Around Bhīma
अपूपान् सक्तुपिण्डांश्व प्राश्नन्तो मथितान्वितान् | पथि सुप्रबला भूत्वा कदा सम्पततो5ध्वगान्
apūpān saktupiṇḍāṁś ca prāśnanto mathitānvitān | pathi suprabalā bhūtvā kadā sampatato 'dhvagān ||
Karna said: “Feasting on cakes and balls of parched grain, and taking along churned curds, when will these travellers on the road become truly strong and rush forward?” In context, the line is a biting, contemptuous taunt: Karna derides the opposing warriors as if they were mere wayfarers concerned with provisions rather than disciplined fighters driven by duty and resolve. The ethical edge lies in contrasting indulgent comfort with the hard strength and urgency expected in righteous battle conduct.
कर्ण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse uses sarcasm to stress that in a dharmic battle, warriors must show disciplined strength and swift resolve; those who behave like comfort-seeking travellers with provisions are unfit for the urgency of combat duty.
Karna is speaking in the midst of the war narrative and mocks the opposing side, portraying them as mere road-travellers eating travel-food (cakes, parched-grain balls, churned curds) and asking when they will ever become strong enough to charge.