Shloka 21

Devanagari script

यदाप्रभृति कर्णाय शक्तिर्दत्ता महात्मना । वासवेन महाबाहो क्षिप्ता यासै घटोत्कचे,महाबाहो! जबसे महात्मा इन्द्रने कर्णको उसके दिव्य कवच और कुण्डलोंके बदलेमें अपनी शक्ति दी थी, जिसे उसने घटोत्कचपर चला दिया है, उस शक्तिको पाकर धर्मात्मा कर्ण सदा तुम्हें रणभूमिमें मारा गया ही मानता था

Transliteration

yadāprabhṛti karṇāya śaktir dattā mahātmanā | vāsavena mahābāho kṣiptā yāsai ghaṭotkace ||

Translation

ಮಹಾಬಾಹೋ! ಮಹಾತ್ಮ ವಾಸವನು (ಇಂದ್ರನು) ಕರ್ಣನಿಗೆ (ಕವಚ-ಕುಂಡಲಗಳ ಬದಲಾಗಿ) ನೀಡಿದ ಶಕ್ತಿಯನ್ನು—ಅವನು ಘಟೋತ್ಕಚನ ಮೇಲೆ ಎಸೆದ ಅದೇ ಶಕ್ತಿಯನ್ನು—ಪಡೆದ ದಿನದಿಂದ ಕರ್ಣನು ನಿನ್ನನ್ನು ಯುದ್ಧಭೂಮಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ಸದಾ ಈಗಾಗಲೇ ಹತನಾಗಿದ್ದೆಂದು ಭಾವಿಸುತ್ತಿದ್ದನು.

Word by Word

यदाwhen

आप्रभृतिfrom (that time) onwards

कर्णायto Karna

शक्तिःthe spear/weapon (Shakti)

दत्ताgiven

महात्मनाby the great-souled one

वासवेनby Vasava (Indra)

महाबाहोO mighty-armed one

क्षिप्ताhurled

याwhich

असैwas

घटोत्कचेupon Ghaṭotkaca

Speaker

श्रीवायुदेव उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vāyudeva

Karṇa

Vāsava (Indra)

Śakti (Indra’s weapon)

Ghaṭotkaca

Kavaca (divine armor)

Kuṇḍala (divine earrings)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how reliance on extraordinary divine gifts can create overconfidence and a sense of predetermined victory, raising ethical questions about merit, fairness, and the shifting balance between human effort and divine intervention in war.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vāyudeva recalls that Indra gave Karṇa the divine Śakti in exchange for Karṇa’s innate celestial armor and earrings; Karṇa later used that Śakti against Ghaṭotkaca. After obtaining (and using) it, Karṇa habitually assumed his opponent addressed here as ‘mahābāho’ was as good as already killed in battle.