स निरीक्ष्य महाबाहुः सर्वतो रङ्गमण्डलम् ॥
प्रणामं द्रोणकृपयोर् नात्यादृतम् इवाकरोत् ॥
स सामाजजनः सर्वो निश्चलः स्थिरलोचनः ॥
को ऽयम् इत्य् आगतक्षोभः कौतूहलपरो ऽभवत् ॥
सो ऽब्रवीन् मेघधीरेण स्वरेण वदतां वरः ॥
भ्राता भ्रातरम् अज्ञातं सावित्रः पाकशासनिम् ॥
पार्थ यत् ते कृतं कर्म विशेषवद् अहं ततः ॥
करिष्ये पश्यतां नॄणां मात्मना विस्मयं गमः ॥
sa nirīkṣya mahābāhuḥ sarvato raṅgamaṇḍalam ||
praṇāmaṃ droṇakṛpayor nātyādṛtam ivākarot ||
sa sāmājajanaḥ sarvo niścalaḥ sthiralocanaḥ ||
ko 'yam ity āgatakṣobhaḥ kautūhalaparo 'bhavat ||
so 'bravīn meghadhīreṇa svareṇa vadatāṃ varaḥ ||
bhrātā bhrātaram ajñātaṃ sāvitraḥ pākaśāsanim ||
pārtha yat te kṛtaṃ karma viśeṣavad ahaṃ tataḥ ||
kariṣye paśyatāṃ nṝṇāṃ mātmanā vismayaṃ gamaḥ ||
"He, the mighty-armed, having surveyed the arena's circle on every side, bowed to Drona and Kripa as if without particular reverence. The whole assembly of people, motionless, with fixed gaze, grew troubled: 'Who is this?' — seized with curiosity. And he, the finest of speakers, in a voice deep as thunder from a cloud — brother to his unrecognized brother, son of the Sun to the son of Indra — said: 'Partha, whatever deed you have done, I shall do better than that, before the eyes of men; do not grow proud of yourself.'"
26253b415e11 · published Jul 12, 2026, 4:53:32 PM UTC
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Here the challenge is thrown down — and the scripture underscores it: "brother to an unrecognized brother." This detail matters: Karna and Arjuna, blood brothers through their mother, stand against each other unaware of their kinship — the bitterest image of the whole enmity of Kauravas and Pandavas, rooted in discord among the closest of kin. Here appears the tragedy of ignorance: a feud that would never have flared had the truth been told instead blazes up because of hidden kinship. Telling, too, is the carelessness of Karna's bow to his elders: wounded pride already shows through it. Thus the scripture reveals the opening of a fateful rivalry — not between strangers but between brothers parted by the secret of birth; and in this not-knowing lies the root of countless woes.