Shloka 69
अध्याय ९ — कर्णस्य प्रहारः, योधयुग्मनियोजनम्, शैनेय-कैकेययोर्युद्धविन्यासः
पुमानाधिरयथे: स्थातुं कश्चित् प्रमुखतो $हति । अपि स्यान्मेदिनी हीना सोमसूर्यप्रभांशुभि:
pumān ādhiratheḥ sthātuṁ kaścit pramukhato 'rhati | api syān medinī hīnā somasūryaprabhāṁśubhiḥ ||
Sinabi ni Vaiśaṃpāyana: “Sino sa mga tao ang makatatayo nang harapan-harapan laban sa anak ni Adhiratha (si Karṇa)? Tunay nga, wari’y mawawalan ang daigdig ng ningning ng Buwan at Araw kung ang gayong mandirigma’y walang karapat-dapat na katunggali.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the extraordinary stature of a warrior: true martial excellence demands a worthy counterpart. It also reflects the epic’s kṣatriya ethic—valor is measured not merely by victory, but by the capacity to meet formidable opposition directly.
Vaiśaṃpāyana, narrating the events of the Karṇa Parva, offers a hyperbolic encomium of Karna’s might, implying that scarcely anyone can confront him head-on; the comparison to the Moon and Sun’s rays heightens the sense of cosmic-scale brilliance and dread surrounding his presence in battle.