नदतः पाञ्चजन्यस्य रसतो गाण्डिवस्य च ॥
श्रुत्वा सर्वाणि सैन्यानि त्रासं यास्यन्ति भारत ॥
कपिध्वजस्य चोत्पाते रथस्यामित्रकर्शिनः ॥
शब्दं सोढुं न शक्ष्यन्ति त्वाम् ऋते वीर पार्थिवाः ॥
nadataḥ pāñcajanyasya rasato gāṇḍivasya ca ||
śrutvā sarvāṇi sainyāni trāsaṃ yāsyanti bhārata ||
kapidhvajasya cotpāte rathasyāmitrakarśinaḥ ||
śabdaṃ soḍhuṃ na śakṣyanti tvām ṛte vīra pārthivāḥ ||
[Karna:] Hearing the roaring of Panchajanya [Krishna's conch] and the ringing of the bow Gandiva, all the armies will fall into terror, O Bharata. And at the swift charge of the monkey-bannered chariot of the destroyer of enemies [Arjuna], kings will not be able to bear its crash — none but you, O hero.
6cf1f06e3cdb · published Jul 19, 2026, 2:46:26 PM UTC
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Karna admits that only Bhishma could withstand the thunder of Arjuna's chariot — and thereby, without a word, pronounces sentence upon himself and upon all who remain: the one man who was his equal has fallen. The conch Panchajanya and the bow Gandiva are the very voices of the presence of Krishna and Arjuna; the fear they instill before any blow is fallen is fear before the invincible. The verse teaches that some battles are lost even before the clash — by the very spirit, which quails before the voice of an opponent behind whom stands a higher power; and that a warrior who honestly admits that only the fallen one was his equal already knows the outcome, yet goes to meet it out of loyalty — a valor worthy of a better cause.