Mahabharata · 7.6.21–22
॥
Devanāgarī
एवम् एतौ महात्मानौ बलसेनाग्रगाव् उभौ ॥
तावकानां मुखं कर्णः परेषां च धनंजयः ॥
ततो जाताभिसंरम्भौ परस्परवधैषिणौ ॥
अवेक्षेतां तदान्योन्यं समरे कर्णपाण्डवौ ॥
Transliteration (IAST)
evam etau mahātmānau balasenāgragāv ubhau ||
tāvakānāṃ mukhaṃ karṇaḥ pareṣāṃ ca dhanaṃjayaḥ ||
tato jātābhisaṃrambhau parasparavadhaiṣiṇau ||
avekṣetāṃ tadānyonyaṃ samare karṇapāṇḍavau ||
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
एवम्evamthus; in this way
एतौetauthese two; both of them
महात्मानौmahātmānauthe two great-souled ones; the noble-minded
बलसेनाग्रगौbalasenāgragaustanding at the head of the forces and armies; positioned at the front of the troops
उभौubhauboth; the two of them
तावकानाम्tāvakānāmof your [warriors]; of the army of your side
मुखम्mukhamthe face [head, spearhead]; the forefront
कर्णःkarṇaḥKarna; was Karna
परेषाम्pareṣāmof the enemies; of the opposing army
चcaand; also
धनंजयःdhanaṃjayaḥDhananjaya [Arjuna]; was Arjuna
ततःtataḥthen; thereupon
जाताभिसंरम्भौjātābhisaṃrambhauseized by flaring fury; kindled with anger [at each other]
परस्परवधैषिणौparasparavadhaiṣiṇaulonging to kill one another; seeking each other's destruction
अवेक्षेताम्avekṣetāmlooked [measured with their gaze]; surveyed
तदाtadāthen; at that hour
अन्योन्यम्anyonyamone another; each other
समरेsamarein battle; in combat
कर्णपाण्डवौkarṇapāṇḍavauKarna and the Pandava [Arjuna]; Karna and the son of Pandu
Translation
Thus these two great-souled warriors stood at the head of the forces: Karna was the forefront of your side, and Dhananjaya [Arjuna] the forefront of the enemy. And then, seized by flaring fury, each longing for the other's destruction, Karna and the Pandava [Arjuna] measured one another with their gaze in battle.
Version
755d30ac821a · published Jul 19, 2026, 2:46:26 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
Two forefronts meet face to face — Karna and Arjuna — and in their mutual gaze the whole coming duel is already bound up: an enmity kindled long before this day now looks itself in the eye. But their equality is only apparent: behind Arjuna stands Krishna, and so the outcome of their meeting is decided not by valor, which is great in both, but by whose side the Lord is on. The verse teaches that an outward balance of strength is not an equality of fate; that an enmity nursed for years leads inescapably to a fateful encounter; and that in a duel where one man rests on truth and God, and the other on pride and an unrighteous cause, it is not the strength of the arm that decides, but what lies hidden behind it.