साश्वसूतध्वजं यानं भस्म कृत्वा महाप्रभा ॥
विवेश वसुधां भित्त्वा सुरास् तत्र विसिस्मियुः ॥
कर्णं तु सर्वभूतानि पूजयाम् आसुर् अञ्जसा ॥
यद् अवप्लुत्य जग्राह देवसृष्टां महाशनिम् ॥
एवं कृत्वा रणे कर्ण आरुरोह रथं पुनः ॥
ततो मुमोच नाराचान् सूतपुत्रः परंतपः ॥
अशक्यं कर्तुम् अन्येन सर्वभूतेषु मानद ॥
यद् अकार्षीत् तदा कर्णः संग्रामे भीमदर्शने ॥
sāśvasūtadhvajaṃ yānaṃ bhasma kṛtvā mahāprabhā ||
viveśa vasudhāṃ bhittvā surās tatra visismiyuḥ ||
karṇaṃ tu sarvabhūtāni pūjayām āsur añjasā ||
yad avaplutya jagrāha devasṛṣṭāṃ mahāśanim ||
evaṃ kṛtvā raṇe karṇa āruroha rathaṃ punaḥ ||
tato mumoca nārācān sūtaputraḥ paraṃtapaḥ ||
aśakyaṃ kartum anyena sarvabhūteṣu mānada ||
yad akārṣīt tadā karṇaḥ saṃgrāme bhīmadarśane ||
And he hurled it back at him; from the chariot he [Ghatotkacha] leapt away. The chariot with horses, charioteer, and banner turning to ash, the brilliant one [the thunderbolt] entered the earth, having split it; the gods there were amazed. Karna, however, all beings honored at once for having, leaping down, caught the great thunderbolt made by the gods. Having done thus in battle, Karna mounted the chariot again; then the son of the suta, scorcher of foes, released iron arrows — an act impossible for another among all beings, O giver of honor.
d12ca852a437 · published Jul 19, 2026, 4:49:34 PM UTC
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Karna returns the thunderbolt to his foe, and the very gods marvel while all beings honor him: the feat is so great it surpasses the human. It is significant that the praise comes not from his own side but from all that exists — valor acknowledged by the universe. The verse teaches that true greatness needs no partial witness: it wins reverence even from gods and enemies; and a deed "impossible for another" proclaims by itself the worth of the one who accomplished it.