तत्राद्भुतम् अपश्याम राधेयस्य पराक्रमम् ॥
विरथो रथिनां श्रेष्ठो वारयाम् आस यद् रिपुम् ॥
विरथं तं रथश्रेष्ठं दृष्ट्वाधिरथिम् आहवे ॥
दुर्योधनस् ततो राजन्न् अभ्यभाषत दुर्मुखम् ॥
एष दुर्मुख राधेयो भीमेन विरथीकृतः ॥
तं रथेन नरश्रेष्ठं संपादय महारथम् ॥
दुर्योधनवचः श्रुत्वा ततो भारत दुर्मुखः ॥
त्वरमाणो ऽब्ययात् कर्णं भीमं चावारयच् छरैः ॥
tatrādbhutam apaśyāma rādheyasya parākramam ||
viratho rathināṃ śreṣṭho vārayām āsa yad ripum ||
virathaṃ taṃ rathaśreṣṭhaṃ dṛṣṭvādhirathim āhave ||
duryodhanas tato rājann abhyabhāṣata durmukham ||
eṣa durmukha rādheyo bhīmena virathīkṛtaḥ ||
taṃ rathena naraśreṣṭhaṃ saṃpādaya mahāratham ||
duryodhanavacaḥ śrutvā tato bhārata durmukhaḥ ||
tvaramāṇo 'byayāt karṇaṃ bhīmaṃ cāvārayac charaiḥ ||
There we beheld a marvel — the valor of the son of Radha: that he, chariotless, the best of charioteers, held back the enemy! Having seen that chariotless best of charioteers, the son of Adhiratha, in battle, Duryodhana then, O king, said to Durmukha: "Here is, Durmukha, the son of Radha, deprived of his chariot by Bhima; furnish him, best among men, this great warrior, with a chariot." Hearing Duryodhana's words, Durmukha, O Bharata, hastening, went to Karna and held Bhima back with arrows.
233124dfa1cb · published Jul 19, 2026, 4:17:34 PM UTC
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Even chariotless, Karna holds his enemy at bay — and Sanjaya calls it a marvel: valor is genuine even in the ranks of the unrighteous, and an honest chronicler gives it its due. It is telling that Duryodhana again sends a brother, Durmukha, into the fire to save his prop. The verse teaches that courage deserves praise on either side; but the same misfortune repeats itself — persistence in wrongdoing again demands a fresh life, and the rescuer turns into a new victim.