तम् आपतन्तं संप्रेक्ष्य विरूपाक्षं विभीषणम् ॥
उत्स्मयन्न् इव राधेयस् त्वरमाणो ऽभ्यवारयत् ॥
ततः कर्णो ऽभ्ययाद् एनम् अस्यन्न् अस्यन्तम् अन्तिकात् ॥
मातङ्ग इव मातङ्गं यूथर्षभ इवर्षभम् ॥
स संनिपातस् तुमुलस् तयोर् आसीद् विशां पते ॥
कर्णराक्षसयो राजन्न् इन्द्रशम्बरयोर् इव ॥
तौ प्रगृह्य महावेगे धनुषी भीमनिस्वने ॥
प्राच्छादयेताम् अन्योन्यं तक्षमाणौ महेषुभिः ॥
tam āpatantaṃ saṃprekṣya virūpākṣaṃ vibhīṣaṇam ||
utsmayann iva rādheyas tvaramāṇo 'bhyavārayat ||
tataḥ karṇo 'bhyayād enam asyann asyantam antikāt ||
mātaṅga iva mātaṅgaṃ yūtharṣabha ivarṣabham ||
sa saṃnipātas tumulas tayor āsīd viśāṃ pate ||
karṇarākṣasayo rājann indraśambarayor iva ||
tau pragṛhya mahāvege dhanuṣī bhīmanisvane ||
prācchādayetām anyonyaṃ takṣamāṇau maheṣubhiḥ ||
Seeing him, Virupaksha [the fierce-eyed], terrible, swooping down, Radheya [Karna], as if smiling, swiftly repelled him. Then Karna advanced upon him, shooting at the one who shot, close at hand, as an elephant meets an elephant, as a herd-bull meets a bull. That tumultuous clash between the two, O lord of peoples, of Karna and the rakshasa, O king, was like that between Indra and Shambara. Both, seizing their swift, fiercely resounding bows, showered each other, cutting one another with great arrows.
309c5b3a5605 · published Jul 19, 2026, 4:49:34 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
Karna meets the fearsome rakshasa 'as if smiling': the composure of a master before a terrifying foe. The comparison to the clash of Indra and Shambara is telling -- the duel is raised to the level of a battle between gods and demons. The verse teaches that true courage does not lose itself before terror: where others tremble like waves of the sea, the seasoned warrior meets his enemy with a smile; and calmness of spirit, not ferocity, is the first mark of one born to conquer.