Shloka 69
अध्याय ९ — कर्णस्य प्रहारः, योधयुग्मनियोजनम्, शैनेय-कैकेययोर्युद्धविन्यासः
पुमानाधिरयथे: स्थातुं कश्चित् प्रमुखतो $हति । अपि स्यान्मेदिनी हीना सोमसूर्यप्रभांशुभि:
pumān ādhiratheḥ sthātuṁ kaścit pramukhato 'rhati | api syān medinī hīnā somasūryaprabhāṁśubhiḥ ||
വൈശംപായനൻ പറഞ്ഞു— അധിരഥപുത്രനായ കർണ്ണന്റെ മുന്നിൽ മുഖാമുഖമായി നില്ക്കാൻ കഴിയുന്ന മനുഷ്യൻ ആരുണ്ട്? അവനു തുല്യനായ പ്രതിയോധൻ ഇല്ലെങ്കിൽ ഭൂമി ചന്ദ്രസൂര്യപ്രഭകളില്ലാത്തതുപോലെ തോന്നും।
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the extraordinary stature of a warrior: true martial excellence demands a worthy counterpart. It also reflects the epic’s kṣatriya ethic—valor is measured not merely by victory, but by the capacity to meet formidable opposition directly.
Vaiśaṃpāyana, narrating the events of the Karṇa Parva, offers a hyperbolic encomium of Karna’s might, implying that scarcely anyone can confront him head-on; the comparison to the Moon and Sun’s rays heightens the sense of cosmic-scale brilliance and dread surrounding his presence in battle.