Shloka 22
अर्जुनकर्णसंनिपातवर्णनम् / The Convergence of Arjuna and Karṇa
न प्राप्तपूर्व यद् भीष्मात् कृपद्रोणाच्च संयुगे । तत् प्राप्तमद्य मे युद्धे सूतपुत्रान्महारथात्,पहले कभी भीष्म, द्रोण और कृपाचार्यसे भी मुझे युद्धस्थलमें जो अपमान नहीं प्राप्त हुआ था, वही आज महारथी सूतपुत्रसे युद्धमें प्राप्त हो गया है
na prāptapūrvaṃ yad bhīṣmāt kṛpadroṇācca saṃyuge | tat prāptam adya me yuddhe sūtaputrān mahārathāt ||
Yudhiṣṭhira disse: “A humilhação que eu nunca sofrera em combate pelas mãos de Bhīṣma, Droṇa ou Kṛpa, hoje, nesta guerra, eu a sofri do filho do cocheiro, o grande guerreiro de carro.”
युधिषछ्िर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how even a righteous leader can be shaken by dishonor in war, and it implicitly warns that pride in past resilience is fragile; dharma in battle includes steadiness of mind when confronted by unexpected prowess and reversal of fortune.
Yudhiṣṭhira laments that he has suffered a level of affront or defeat from Karṇa (called ‘sūtaputra’) that he had not previously experienced even against the famed elders Bhīṣma, Droṇa, and Kṛpa, underscoring Karṇa’s formidable strength and the Pandava king’s distress.