Shloka 21
Draupadī-apaharaṇa-saṃdeśaḥ
Report of Draupadī’s Abduction and the Pāṇḍavas’ Pursuit
स ते विक्रमशौटीरो रणे पार्थ विजेष्यति । कर्ण: प्रहरतां श्रेष्ठ: सर्वाश्षारीन् महारथ:,महारथी कर्ण योद्धाओं में श्रेष्ठ और अपने पराक्रमपर गर्व रखनेवाला है। वह रणभूमिमें अर्जुन तथा आपके अन्य सब शत्रुओंपर अवश्य विजयी होगा
sa te vikramaśauṭīro raṇe pārtha vijeṣyati | karṇaḥ praharatāṃ śreṣṭhaḥ sarvāñ śatrūn mahārathaḥ |
Vaiśampāyana nói: “Karṇa ấy—kẻ tự hào về võ công và lừng danh bởi lòng gan dạ nơi chiến địa—sẽ đánh bại Pārtha (Arjuna) trong trận chiến. Đại chiến xa thủ Karṇa, bậc đứng đầu trong những người ra đòn, ắt sẽ khuất phục mọi kẻ thù của ngươi.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the classical kṣatriya valuation of martial excellence and reputation: Karṇa is praised as foremost among attackers and is predicted to prevail. Ethically, it also shows how confidence, fame, and prophetic assertions can shape decisions in a dharma-conflicted war, even when outcomes ultimately depend on wider moral and cosmic factors in the epic.
Vaiśampāyana, narrating the epic events, reports a confident assessment of Karṇa’s battlefield superiority: Karṇa is described as a great chariot-warrior who will defeat Pārtha (Arjuna) and overcome the enemies addressed as “your” (the listener’s side). It functions as a declaration of Karṇa’s feared prowess and the looming confrontation with Arjuna.