Shloka 5
Karṇa-parva Adhyāya 19 — Saṃśaptaka–Trigarta Assault and Aindra-astra Counter
तुल्यतां द्रोणभीष्मा भ्यामात्मनो यो न मृष्यते । वासुदेवार्जुनाभ्यां च न्यूनतां नैच्छतात्मनि
sañjaya uvāca | tulyatāṃ droṇabhīṣmābhyām ātmano yo na mṛṣyate | vāsudevārjunābhyāṃ ca nyūnatāṃ naicchat ātmani ||
तुल्यतां द्रोणभीष्माभ्यामात्मनो यो न मृष्यते। वासुदेवार्जुनाभ्यां च न्यूनतां नैच्छतात्मनि॥
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical danger of unchecked self-regard: refusing to acknowledge anyone as superior—or even equal—turns valor into arrogance, which in the Mahābhārata’s moral vision becomes a cause of conflict, anger, and downfall.
Sañjaya characterizes a warrior’s mindset: he cannot bear being considered merely equal to Droṇa and Bhīṣma and refuses to see himself as inferior even to Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna. This description sets up the intensity of his reaction and the ensuing violence on the battlefield.