Shloka 40
Karna Reproves Shalya; Brahmin Reports on Bāhlīkas; Shalya’s Universalizing Rebuttal (कर्ण–शल्य संवादः)
कायस्य महतो भेदे लाघवे दूरपातने । सौष्ठवे चास्त्रपाते च सव्यसाची न मत्सम:,हाथी आदिके विशाल शरीरका भेदन करने, शीघ्रतापूर्वक अस्त्र चलाने, दूरका लक्ष्य वेधने, सुन्दर रीतिसे युद्ध करने तथा दिव्यास्त्रोंके प्रयोगमें भी सव्यसाची अर्जुन मेरे समान नहीं हैं
kāyasya mahato bhede lāghave dūrapātane | sauṣṭhave cāstrapāte ca savyasācī na matsamaḥ ||
カルナは言った。「巨大な肉体を貫くこと、迅速さ、遠き標的を射抜くこと、戦いの妙なる運び、そして飛び道具の放ち方と用い方——これらにおいて、サヴィヤサーチンたるアルジュナは、われに及ばぬ。」
कर्ण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the kṣatriya concern for honor and reputation in war: Karna measures worth through demonstrable skill and refuses to accept inferiority. Ethically, it shows how pride and rivalry can harden resolve and intensify conflict even among those bound by shared lineage and duty.
In the Karṇa Parva, Karna speaks about martial capabilities in the context of the Kurukṣetra war. Here he boasts that Arjuna—though famed as Savyasācin—is not equal to him in piercing large bodies, speed, long-range marksmanship, refined fighting, and the use of missiles.