Shloka 61
Karna Reproves Shalya; Brahmin Reports on Bāhlīkas; Shalya’s Universalizing Rebuttal (कर्ण–शल्य संवादः)
एवमभ्यधिक: पार्थाद् भविष्यामि गुणैरहम् । शल्यो<प्यधिक: कृष्णादर्जुनादपि चाप्यहम्,ऐसी व्यवस्था होनेपर मैं गुणोंमें पार्थसे बढ़ जाऊँगा। शल्य भी श्रीकृष्णसे बड़े-चढ़े हैं और मैं भी अर्जुनसे श्रेष्ठ हूँ न हि मे समरे शक्ता: समुद्यातुं सुरसुरा: । किमु पाण्डुसुता राजन् रणे मानुषयोनय:
evam abhyadhikaḥ pārthād bhaviṣyāmi guṇair aham | śalyo 'py adhikaḥ kṛṣṇād arjunād api cāpy aham | na hi me samare śaktāḥ samudyātuṃ surāsurāḥ | kimu pāṇḍusutā rājan raṇe mānuṣayonayaḥ ||
अशी व्यवस्था झाली तर मी गुणांनी पार्थापेक्षा अधिक होईन. शल्य तर श्रीकृष्णापेक्षाही श्रेष्ठ आहेत, आणि मीही अर्जुनापेक्षा श्रेष्ठ आहे. रणांगणात देव-असुरही माझ्याविरुद्ध उभे राहू शकत नाहीत—मग हे राजन्, केवळ मनुष्ययोनीत जन्मलेले पांडुपुत्र तर कायच!
कर्ण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse illustrates the moral and psychological danger of overconfidence in war: Karna frames victory as a matter of personal superiority and dismisses even divine opposition. In the epic’s ethical landscape, such pride (mada/ahaṅkāra) often clouds judgment and deepens adharma by reducing opponents to objects of contempt rather than moral agents.
Karna, speaking to the king (Duryodhana), asserts that with the situation arranged in his favor he will outshine Arjuna. He elevates Shalya above Krishna and claims himself above Arjuna, declaring that not even gods and demons could face him—therefore the human-born Pandavas are, in his view, no match.