Jayadratha Approaches Draupadī in the Forest
Hospitality, Persuasion, and Reproach
शूराश्ष बलवन्तश्न संयुगेष्वपलायिन:
śūrāś ca balavantaś ca saṃyugeṣv apalāyinaḥ
ਕਰਨ ਨੇ ਘੋਸ਼ਣਾ ਕੀਤੀ—“ਸੱਚੇ ਸੂਰਮੇ ਤੇ ਬਲਵਾਨ ਉਹੀ ਹਨ ਜੋ ਜੰਗ ਦੇ ਟਕਰਾਅ ਵਿੱਚ ਪਿੱਠ ਨਹੀਂ ਦਿਖਾਉਂਦੇ; ਰਣਭੂਮੀ ਤੋਂ ਭੱਜਦੇ ਨਹੀਂ।”
कर्ण उवाच
Valor is not merely strength but steadfastness: a true warrior is one who does not abandon duty and honor by fleeing when battle becomes dangerous.
Speaking as Karna, the verse characterizes certain fighters as genuinely heroic—strong and unyielding—emphasizing their refusal to retreat in combat, a key marker of martial honor in the epic.