Shloka 25
अर्जुनकर्णसंनिपातवर्णनम् / The Convergence of Arjuna and Karṇa
महारथ: समाख्यात: सर्वयुद्धविशारद: । धनुर्धराणां प्रवर: सर्वेषामेकपूरुष:,जो सम्पूर्ण युद्धकी कलामें कुशल, विख्यात महारथी, धनुर्धरोंमें श्रेष्ठ तथा सब शत्रुओंमें प्रधान पुरुष था, जिसे पुत्रसहित धृतराष्ट्रने तुम्हारा सामना करनेके लिये ही सम्मानपूर्वक रखा था, वह महाबली राधापुत्र कर्ण तुम्हारे द्वारा कैसे मारा गया?
mahārathaḥ samākhyātaḥ sarva-yuddha-viśāradaḥ | dhanurdharāṇāṁ pravaraḥ sarveṣām eka-pūruṣaḥ | yaḥ sampūrṇa-yuddha-kalāyāṁ kuśalaḥ vikhyāta-mahārathī dhanurdharāṇāṁ śreṣṭhaḥ sarva-śatrūṇāṁ pradhāna-pūruṣaḥ ca | yaṁ putra-sahitaḥ dhṛtarāṣṭraḥ tava samāgamaṁ prati eva sammāna-pūrvakaṁ nyadhāt | sa mahābalī rādheyaḥ karṇaḥ tvayā kathaṁ hataḥ ?
坚战（Yudhiṣṭhira）说道：“他以大车战士之名闻于世，通晓一切战斗之法；为诸弓手之最，一人独当，凌驾群敌。其于完备的兵法武艺皆已精熟，名声遍传，又为持国（Dhṛtarāṣṭra）与其诸子所尊崇供养，特为与你相抗：那大力的罗陀之子罗提耶（Karna），你竟如何将他杀死？”
युधिषछ्िर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the moral tension of war: even the most celebrated warrior can fall, prompting reflection on how victory occurs—through skill, circumstance, strategy, and the complex workings of dharma in a conflict where ideals and necessities collide.
Yudhiṣṭhira questions how Karṇa—renowned as an unmatched archer and honored by Dhṛtarāṣṭra to face the Pāṇḍavas—could have been killed by the addressed warrior (contextually, Arjuna), emphasizing Karṇa’s stature and the surprising nature of his defeat.