Shloka 12
भीष्मरक्षण-प्रकरणम् / The Protective Screen around Bhīṣma and the Śalya–Yudhiṣṭhira Clash
विजित्य च यदा कर्ण सदा पुरुषमानिनम् । उत्तरायै ददौ वस्त्र पर्याप्तं तन्निदर्शनम्,“उन दिनों सदा अपने पुरुषार्थका अभिमान रखनेवाले कर्णको भी जीतकर अर्जुनने उसके वस्त्र छीनकर उत्तराको अर्पित किये थे। यह दृष्टान्त पर्याप्त होगा
vijitya ca yadā karṇaṃ sadā puruṣamāninam | uttarāyai dadau vastraṃ paryāptaṃ tannidarśanam ||
Sañjaya berkata: “Dan ketika Arjuna menewaskan Karṇa—yang sentiasa bermegah dengan keperwiraannya—dia merampas pakaian Karṇa lalu mempersembahkannya kepada Uttarā. Contoh ini juga sudah memadai sebagai bukti.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse uses a concrete precedent to make a point: even a famed warrior who prides himself on valor can be overcome, and an act (taking and gifting a garment) is cited as ‘sufficient evidence’—highlighting how pride is checked by circumstance and how argumentation in the epic often relies on illustrative examples (nidarśana).
Sañjaya recalls an earlier incident: Arjuna defeats Karṇa, takes Karṇa’s garment, and gives it to Uttarā. He presents this as an adequate illustrative proof for the point under discussion in the surrounding passage.