परिचिन्त्य तु पार्थेन संनिपातो न नः क्षमः ॥
एकः कुरून् अभ्यरक्षद् एकश् चाग्निम् अतर्पयत् ॥
एकश् च पञ्च वर्षाणि ब्रह्मचर्यम् अधारयत् ॥
एकः सुभद्राम् आरोप्य द्वैरथे कृष्णम् आह्वयत् ॥
अस्मिन्न् एव वने कृष्णो हृतां कृष्णाम् अवाजयत् ॥
एकश् च पञ्च वर्षाणि शक्राद् अस्त्राण्य् अशिक्षत ॥
एकः सांयमिनीं जित्वा कुरूणाम् अकरोद् यशः ॥
एको गन्धर्वराजानं चित्रसेनम् अरिंदमः ॥
विजिग्ये तरसा संख्ये सेनां चास्य सुदुर्जयाम् ॥
तथा निवातकवचाः कालखञ्जाश् च दानवाः ॥
दैवतैर् अप्य् अवध्यास् ते एकेन युधि पातिताः ॥
एकेन हि त्वया कर्ण किं नामेह कृतं पुरा ॥
एकैकेन यथा तेषां भूमिपाला वशीकृताः ॥
इन्द्रो ऽपि हि न पार्थेन संयुगे योद्धुम् अर्हति ॥
यस् तेनाशंसते योद्धुं कर्तव्यं तस्य भेषजम् ॥
paricintya tu pārthena saṃnipāto na naḥ kṣamaḥ ||
ekaḥ kurūn abhyarakṣad ekaś cāgnim atarpayat ||
ekaś ca pañca varṣāṇi brahmacaryam adhārayat ||
ekaḥ subhadrām āropya dvairathe kṛṣṇam āhvayat ||
asminn eva vane kṛṣṇo hṛtāṃ kṛṣṇām avājayat ||
ekaś ca pañca varṣāṇi śakrād astrāṇy aśikṣata ||
ekaḥ sāṃyaminīṃ jitvā kurūṇām akarod yaśaḥ ||
eko gandharvarājānaṃ citrasenam ariṃdamaḥ ||
vijigye tarasā saṃkhye senāṃ cāsya sudurjayām ||
tathā nivātakavacāḥ kālakhañjāś ca dānavāḥ ||
daivatair apy avadhyās te ekena yudhi pātitāḥ ||
ekena hi tvayā karṇa kiṃ nāmeha kṛtaṃ purā ||
ekaikena yathā teṣāṃ bhūmipālā vaśīkṛtāḥ ||
indro 'pi hi na pārthena saṃyuge yoddhum arhati ||
yas tenāśaṃsate yoddhuṃ kartavyaṃ tasya bheṣajam ||
'On reflection, we shall see: a clash with Partha does not suit us. He alone protected the Kurus, alone satisfied Agni. Alone he kept brahmacharya for five years; alone, setting Subhadra upon his chariot, he challenged Krishna to single combat. In this very forest, Krishna won back the abducted Krishnaa. Alone he studied weapons under Shakra for five years; alone, having conquered Samyamani, he won glory for the Kurus. Alone, that queller of foes, he defeated by force in battle the king of the gandharvas, Chitrasena, and his army, exceedingly hard to conquer. Likewise the Nivatakavachas and the Kalakhanjas, danavas invulnerable even to the gods, were laid low by him alone in battle. What, then, have you alone ever done here before, Karna, that you should think yourself able to subdue kings of the earth as each of them did? Even Indra is not fit to fight Partha in battle; whoever hopes to fight him needs medicine.'
e1e8dc5cc009 · published Jul 16, 2026, 6:27:29 PM UTC
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Kripa sets Arjuna's deeds against Karna's words. Dharma honors declared courage, but tests it against the memory of what has actually been accomplished.