Shloka 19
Aśvatthāman’s Arrow-Screen and the Confrontation with Yudhiṣṭhira (द्रौणि–युधिष्ठिर-संग्रामः)
नाहं बिभेमि कृष्णाभ्यां विजानन्नात्मनो बलम् | वासुदेवसहस्रं वा फाल्गुनानां शतानि वा
nāhaṁ bibhemi kṛṣṇābhyāṁ vijānann ātmano balam | vāsudeva-sahasraṁ vā phālgunānāṁ śatāni vā
Karna said: “I do not fear the two Krishnas, for I know the strength that is in me. Even if there were a thousand Vasudevas, or hundreds of Phālgunas, I would not be afraid.” In the ethical atmosphere of the war, this is a declaration of personal prowess and defiance—yet it also signals the peril of pride, where confidence hardens into disregard for the extraordinary power and righteous cause embodied by Krishna and Arjuna.
कर्ण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the tension between courage and arrogance: knowing one’s strength can inspire steadfastness, but when expressed as contempt for extraordinary opponents (Krishna and Arjuna), it becomes hubris—an ethical warning in the Mahabharata’s war narrative where pride often precedes ruin.
In the Karna Parva, Karna asserts his fearlessness and self-confidence before battle, claiming that even multiplied forms of Krishna (Vasudeva) or Arjuna (Phālguna) would not intimidate him. It functions as a martial proclamation meant to steel resolve and project dominance.