कर्णपर्व — अध्याय ४०
Karṇa’s Pressure on the Pāñcālas; Duryodhana Disabled; Arjuna’s Counter-Advance
कियत् तत् तत् प्रवक्ष्यामि येन येन धनंजय: । त्वत्तो5तिरिक्तः सर्वेभ्यो भूतेभ्यो ब्राह्मणो यथा
kiyat tat tat pravakṣyāmi yena yena dhanañjayaḥ | tvatto 'tiriktaḥ sarvebhyo bhūtebhyo brāhmaṇo yathā ||
कियत् तत् तत् प्रवक्ष्यामि येन येन धनंजयः । त्वतोऽतिरिक्तः सर्वेभ्यो भूतेभ्यो ब्राह्मणो यथा ॥
काक उवाच
The verse cautions against pride by asserting that true superiority rests on recognized qualities and merit; it frames excellence as something demonstrable and acknowledged, using a social-religious analogy (brāhmaṇa as foremost) to emphasize Arjuna’s preeminence.
Kāka speaks in a comparative, admonitory tone, saying he cannot finish listing the reasons Arjuna surpasses the addressed person; he reinforces the point with an analogy that, as a brāhmaṇa is considered foremost among beings, so Arjuna stands above the other in question.