Shloka 61
कर्णेन व्यूहविधानम् — Karṇa’s Battle Formation and the Pāṇḍava Counter-Plan
Adhyāya 31
कर्णो ह्भ्यधिकः पार्थादस्त्रैरेव नरर्षभ । भवानभ्यधिक: कृष्णादश्वज्ञाने बले तथा
sañjaya uvāca |
karṇo hy adhikaḥ pārthād astrair eva nararṣabha |
bhavān abhyadhikaḥ kṛṣṇād aśvajñāne bale tathā ||
Sañjaya disse: “Ó touro entre os homens, Karṇa supera Pārtha (Arjuna) apenas no domínio das armas. Mas tu superas Kṛṣṇa tanto no conhecimento dos cavalos quanto na força física.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights that excellence is domain-specific: Karna’s superiority is framed as limited to weapon-mastery, while other competencies—horsemanship and bodily strength—are separately evaluated. Ethically, it cautions against absolute judgments of greatness and shows how praise can be used to influence morale and strategic perception in war.
Sanjaya reports a battlefield assessment that compares key figures’ strengths. By distinguishing Karna’s advantage over Arjuna in astra-skill and asserting another person’s superiority over Krishna in horsemanship and strength, the narrative sets up expectations about performance, charioteering competence, and tactical confidence during the Karna Parva engagements.