Shloka 32
देवसत्रे मृत्युनिरोधः, पूर्वेन्द्राणां मानुषावतरणम्, द्रौपदी-वरकथनम्
Suspension of Death at the Devasatra; Former Indras’ Human Descent; Draupadī’s Boon Etiology
को हि राधासुतं कर्ण शक्तो योधयितुं रणे । अन्यत्र रामाद् द्रोणाद् वा पाण्डवाद् वा किरीटिन:,“परशुराम, द्रोण अथवा पाण्डुनन्दन अर्जुनके सिवा दूसरा ऐसा कौन है, जो युद्धमें राधानन्दन कर्णका सामना कर सके
vaiśampāyana uvāca | ko hi rādhāsutaṃ karṇaṃ śaktaḥ yodhayituṃ raṇe | anyatra rāmād droṇād vā pāṇḍavād vā kirīṭinaḥ ||
Sinabi ni Vaiśampāyana: “Sino nga ba ang makakayang makipagsagupa kay Karṇa, anak ni Rādhā, sa digmaan—maliban kay Rāma (Paraśurāma), o kay Droṇa, o kay Arjuna na Pāṇḍava, ang may suot na diadema?” Ipinahihiwatig nito ang nakapanghihilakbot na galing ni Karṇa, at itinatakda rin na tanging mga bihirang dakila—may disiplina sa dharma at ganap sa sining ng pakikidigma—ang makatatapat sa gayong lakas nang hindi nauuwi sa bulag na karahasan.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Extraordinary power in war is rare and must be met by equally disciplined excellence; the verse frames true martial superiority as something recognized by standards (Paraśurāma, Droṇa, Arjuna) rather than by boast, implying an ethical hierarchy of capability within kṣatriya-dharma.
Vaiśampāyana highlights Karṇa’s near-unmatched strength by asking rhetorically who could face him in battle, then naming only three exceptions—Paraśurāma, Droṇa, and Arjuna—thereby elevating Karṇa’s stature while situating him among the greatest warriors.