Shloka 8

Draupadī’s Identification of the Pāṇḍavas and the Onset of the Chariot Engagement (द्रौपदी-पाण्डव-परिचयः)

Devanagari script

कर्णस्य च महाबाहो सूतपुत्रस्य दुर्मते:,महाबाहो! उस समय खोटी बुद्धिवाले सूतपुत्र कर्णका पराक्रम भी तुमसे छिपा नहीं था। नृपश्रेष्ठ! धर्मवत्सल! मेरा तो ऐसा विश्वास है कि धनुर्वेद, शौर्य और धर्माचरणमें कर्ण पाण्डवोंकी अपेक्षा चौथाई योग्यता भी नहीं रखता है

Transliteration

karṇasya ca mahābāho sūtaputrasya durmateḥ | mahābāho! tadā khotibuddhivāle sūtaputra-karṇasya parākramaḥ api tava na nigūḍha āsīt | nṛpaśreṣṭha! dharmavatsala! mama tu evaṃ viśvāsaḥ—dhanurvede, śaurye, dharmācaraṇe ca karṇaḥ pāṇḍavebhyaḥ apekṣayā caturthāṃśam api yogyatāṃ na dhārayati ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana berkata: “Wahai yang berlengan perkasa! Bahkan pada waktu itu juga, keperkasaan Karṇa—anak sūta, si kusir kereta, yang tersesat pertimbangannya—tidak tersembunyi daripada tuanku. Wahai raja terbaik, pencinta dharma! Inilah keyakinanku yang teguh: dalam ilmu memanah, dalam keberanian, dan dalam pengamalan dharma, Karṇa tidak pun memiliki seperempat nilai jika dibandingkan dengan para Pāṇḍava.”

Word by Word

कर्णस्यof Karna

चand

महाबाहोO mighty-armed one

सूतपुत्रस्यof the charioteer’s son

दुर्मतेःof the evil-minded (one)

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Karṇa

Pāṇḍavas

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse frames true excellence as threefold—skill (dhanurveda), courage (śaurya), and righteous conduct (dharmācaraṇa). It implies that martial reputation alone is insufficient; ethical alignment and dharma-grounded action are integral to genuine worth.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana addresses a heroic listener (mahābāhu, nṛpaśreṣṭha, dharmavatsala) and asserts that Karṇa’s prowess was already known, yet he judges Karṇa’s overall merit—across archery, valor, and dharma—as far inferior to that of the Pāṇḍavas.