Shloka 44
कर्णेन युधिष्ठिरानीकविदारणम् / Karṇa’s Breach of Yudhiṣṭhira’s Battle-Line
अथर्वड्डलिसावास्तां चक्ररक्षौ महात्मन: | ऋग्वेद: सामवेदश्न पुराणं च पुर:सरा:
atharvāṅgirasāv āstāṃ cakrarakṣau mahātmanaḥ | ṛgvedaḥ sāmavedaś ca purāṇaṃ ca puraḥsarāḥ ||
Duryodhana berkata: “Atharvan dan Aṅgiras menjaga roda-roda kereta bagi insan agung itu, sementara Ṛgveda, Sāmaveda, dan segala Purāṇa bergerak di hadapannya sebagai barisan hadapan.”
दुर्योधन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames martial power as dependent on higher, sacred order: protection and leadership come from Vedic knowledge and ancient tradition. It suggests that force in war seeks legitimacy through dharma, mantra, and inherited sacred authority.
Duryodhana describes a chariot—understood here (per the received gloss) as Śiva’s—being escorted in a cosmic manner: Atharvan and Aṅgiras guard its wheels, while the Ṛgveda, Sāmaveda, and the Purāṇas move ahead like leading warriors, turning scripture into a living protective retinue.