Shloka 22
Adhyāya 8: Saṃprahāra-varṇana and Bhīma–Kṣemadhūrti Dvipa-Yuddha
Combat Description and Elephant Duel
दिव्यास्त्रविन्महातेजा: कर्णो वैकर्तनो वृष: । सेनागोपश्न स कथं शत्रुभि: परमास्त्रवित्
divyāstravinmahātejāḥ karṇo vaikartano vṛṣaḥ | senāgopaśna sa kathaṃ śatrubhiḥ paramāstravit |
Sinabi ni Vaiśampāyana: Si Karṇa Vaikartana, makapangyarihan at maningning, bihasa sa mga sandatang makalangit, ang siyang tagapagtanggol at haligi ng hukbo. Paano siya napabagsak ng mga kaaway na sukdulan sa galing sa sandata?
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the Mahābhārata’s recurring insight that sheer power and technical mastery do not guarantee victory. In war, outcomes are shaped by dharma, prior actions, strategic circumstance, and fate; even a protector of the army can fall when these forces align against him.
Vaiśampāyana draws attention to Karṇa’s exceptional status—radiant, heroic, and skilled in divine missiles—while posing a pointed question about how such a warrior, serving as the army’s guardian, could nevertheless be brought down by enemy combatants renowned for their own supreme weapon-skill.