Shloka 366
कर्णमेकं रणे योध॑ मेनिरे तत्र शात्रवा: । उस घोर शब्दसे पाण्डवोंकी विशाल सेना भयभीत हो उठी। शत्रुओंके सभी सैनिक रणभूमिमें एकमात्र कर्णको ही सर्वश्रेष्ठ योद्धा मानने लगे
karṇam ekaṃ raṇe yodham menire tatra śātravāḥ | us ghora śabdase pāṇḍavōṃkī viśāla senā bhayabhīta ho uṭhī | śatrūṃke sabhī sainik raṇabhūmimēṃ ekamātra karṇako hī sarvaśreṣṭha yoddhā mānane lage |
सञ्जय उवाच—तत्र रणे शात्रवाः कर्णमेकं योधं मेनिरे। तस्मिन् घोरनादे पाण्डवानां विशालं सैन्यं भयेन व्यथितम्; विपक्षीयाः सर्वे सैनिकाश्च कर्णमेवैकं परमं वीरं मन्यन्ते स्म।
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the psychological dimension of warfare: a single warrior’s perceived prowess and terrifying battle-cry can dominate collective perception, causing fear in one army and overconfidence in the other. Ethically, it cautions that fame and intimidation can distort discernment, even when dharma requires steadiness and clear judgment.
Sañjaya reports that on the battlefield the opposing troops came to regard Karṇa as the foremost fighter. His dreadful sound/roar unsettles the Pāṇḍava forces, and the enemy soldiers increasingly treat Karṇa as the single decisive champion in that moment of the war.