Shloka 27
Karṇa’s advance against the Pāṇḍava host; Arjuna’s clash with the Saṃśaptakas (कर्णस्य पाण्डवसेनाप्रवेशः—अर्जुनस्य संशप्तकसंप्रहारः)
तारकाक्षसुतो वीरो हरिनाम महाबल:
tārakākṣasuto vīro harināma mahābalaḥ | tapa ugraṃ samāsthāya niyame parame sthitāḥ ||
ドゥルヨーダナは言った。「その時、神々がダイティヤ族を打ち破ったと、われらは聞いている。ダイティヤが屈せしのち、ターラカースラの三人の子—ターラカークシャ、カマラークシャ、ヴィデュンマーリー—は、激烈な苦行に身を投じ、最上の戒律を堅く守り続けた。かくして彼らは、敗北の後でさえ、絶望に沈むことなく、厳しい自己制御によって力と目的を求めたのだ。」
दुर्योधन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a recurring epic motif: defeat does not end striving; disciplined effort (tapas and niyama) can be used to rebuild strength and influence. Ethically, it shows how the same tools of self-control may serve either constructive aims or renewed ambition, depending on intention.
Duryodhana recalls an earlier mythic episode: after the Devas defeated the Daityas, Tārakāsura’s three sons undertook intense austerities and strict observances, implying a strategic turn from battlefield loss to ascetic power-gathering.