उद्योगपर्व — अध्याय १४० (कृष्णेन कर्णं प्रति पाण्डवबल-वैशिष्ट्यप्रदर्शनम्) / Udyoga Parva, Chapter 140
Krishna’s appraisal of Pandava advantage and war portents
तस्माद् रणे द्वैरथे मां प्रत्युद्यातारमच्युत । वृतवान् परमं कृष्ण प्रतीपं सव्यसाचिन:,अतः अच्युत! मुझे द्वैरथ युद्धमें सव्यसाची अर्जुनके विरुद्ध लोहा लेने तथा उनका सामना करनेके लिये उसने चुन लिया है
tasmād raṇe dvairathe māṃ pratyudyātāram acyuta | vṛtavān paramaṃ kṛṣṇa pratīpaṃ savyasācinaḥ ||
ゆえに、アチュタよ、戦場の戦車同士の一騎討ちにおいて、彼はこの私を――至高のクリシュナよ――サヴィヤサーチン(アルジュナ)に対する直の対抗者として、出陣し正面から立ちはだかる者に選び取ったのだ。この言葉は、アルジュナに釣り合う相手を意図して選定したことを示し、迫り来る戦いを、同族相争う戦の道義的緊張の中での技量と決意の試練として描き出している。
कर्ण उवाच
The verse highlights the kṣatriya ethos of meeting a chosen opponent head-on in fair, face-to-face combat (dvairatha), while also revealing the ethical strain of war: personal valor and duty are asserted even when the larger conflict is morally fraught.
Karna addresses Kṛṣṇa (Acyuta), stating that he has been selected to ride out and confront Arjuna (Savyasācin) in a chariot duel—positioning Karna as Arjuna’s principal battlefield counter and foreshadowing their climactic rivalry.