Shloka 22
Adhyāya 8: Saṃprahāra-varṇana and Bhīma–Kṣemadhūrti Dvipa-Yuddha
Combat Description and Elephant Duel
दिव्यास्त्रविन्महातेजा: कर्णो वैकर्तनो वृष: । सेनागोपश्न स कथं शत्रुभि: परमास्त्रवित्
divyāstravinmahātejāḥ karṇo vaikartano vṛṣaḥ | senāgopaśna sa kathaṃ śatrubhiḥ paramāstravit |
Vaiśampāyana berkata: Karṇa Vaikartana, wira yang perkasa lagi bercahaya, mahir akan senjata ilahi, ialah pelindung dan tiang seri bala tentera. Maka bagaimana dia dapat ditewaskan oleh musuh yang unggul dalam ilmu persenjataan?
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the Mahābhārata’s recurring insight that sheer power and technical mastery do not guarantee victory. In war, outcomes are shaped by dharma, prior actions, strategic circumstance, and fate; even a protector of the army can fall when these forces align against him.
Vaiśampāyana draws attention to Karṇa’s exceptional status—radiant, heroic, and skilled in divine missiles—while posing a pointed question about how such a warrior, serving as the army’s guardian, could nevertheless be brought down by enemy combatants renowned for their own supreme weapon-skill.