12.005
Pancharatra-Ext: Narada concludes, summarizing the reasons why Karna was defeated by Arjuna.
nārada uvāca॥
Nārada said:
āviṣkṛtabalaṃ karṇaṃ jñātvā rājā tu māgadhaḥ। āhvayaddvairathenājau jarāsandho mahīpatiḥ ॥12-5-1॥
But when the king of Magadha, Jarāsandha, saw Karṇa's strength revealed, he invited him to a duel in battle.
tayoḥ samabhavadyuddhaṃ divyāstraviduṣordvayoḥ। yudhi nānāpraharaṇairanyonyamabhivarṣatoḥ ॥12-5-2॥
An equal battle arose between those two masters of divine weapons, each showering various weapons upon the other in the fight.
kṣīṇabāṇau vidhanuṣau bhagnakhaḍgau mahīṃ gatau| bāhubhiḥ samasajjetāmubhāvapi balānvitau ||12-5-3||
Both, with their arrows spent, bows broken, and swords shattered, having fallen to the ground, even then, endowed with strength, would have fought each other with their arms.
bāhukaṇṭakayuddhena tasya karṇo’tha yudhyataḥ। bibheda sandhiṃ dehasya jarayā śleṣitasya ha ॥12-5-4॥
Then, in the battle of arm-thorns, Karṇa, while fighting, broke the joint of his body, which had been weakened by old age.
sa vikāraṃ śarīrasya dṛṣṭvā nṛpatir ātmanaḥ। prīto'smīty abravīt karṇaṃ vairam utsṛjya bhārata ॥12-5-5॥
O Bhārata, the king, having seen the change in his own body, became pleased and, abandoning enmity, said to Karṇa, "I am pleased."
prītyā dadau sa karṇāya mālinīṃ nagarīmatha। aṅgeṣu naraśārdūla sa rājāsītsapatnajit ॥12-5-6॥
Out of affection, he gave the city of Mālinī to Karṇa; then, in Aṅga, that tiger among men became king, victorious over his rivals.
pālayāmāsa campāṃ tu karṇaḥ parabalārdanaḥ। duryodhanasyānumate tavāpi viditaṃ tathā ॥12-5-7॥
Karṇa, the destroyer of enemy forces, protected Campā, but it is known that he did so with the consent of Duryodhana and also with your approval.
evaṃ śastrapratāpena prathitaḥ so'bhavat kṣitau। tvaddhitārthaṃ surendreṇa bhikṣito varmakauṇḍale ॥12-5-8॥
Thus, by his martial prowess, he became famous on earth; for your sake, Indra, the lord of gods, begged him for the armor and earrings.
sa divye sahaja prādāt kuṇḍale paramārcite। sahajaṃ kavacaṃ caiva mohito devamāyayā ॥12-5-9॥
He, in his divine and natural form, gave the supremely worshipped earrings and the natural armor, being deluded by divine illusion.
vimuktaḥ kuṇḍalābhyāṃ ca sahajena ca varmaṇā। nihato vijayenājau vāsudevasya paśyataḥ ॥12-5-10॥
Freed from his earrings and natural armor, he was slain by Arjuna in battle as Krishna looked on.
brāhmaṇasyābhiśāpena rāmasya ca mahātmanaḥ। kuntyāś ca varadānena māyayā ca śatakratoḥ ॥12-5-11॥
Because of the Brāhmaṇa's curse and the great-souled Rāma, and due to Kuntī's boon and the illusion of Śatakratu (Indra),
bhīṣmāvamānātsaṅkhyāyāṃ rathānāmardhakīrtanāt| śalyāttejovadhāccāpi vāsudevanayena ca ||12-5-12||
Due to the disrespect shown to Bhishma, the partial reporting of the number of chariots, Shalya's actions, the loss of energy, and also by the strategy of Vasudeva.
rudrasya devarājasya yamasya varuṇasya ca। kuberadroṇayoścaiva kṛpasya ca mahātmanaḥ ॥12-5-13॥
Of Rudra, the king of gods, Yama, Varuṇa, Kubera, Droṇa, and also of Kṛpa, the great-souled one.
astrāṇi divyāny ādāya yudhi gāṇḍīvadhanvanā। hato vaikartanaḥ karṇo divākara-samadyutiḥ ॥12-5-14॥
In the battle, Karṇa, the son of Vikartana, radiant like the sun, was slain by Arjuna, the wielder of the Gāṇḍīva bow, after taking up divine weapons.
evaṃ śaptas tava bhrātā bahubhiś cāpi vañcitaḥ। na śocyaḥ sa naravyāghro yuddhe hi nidhanaṃ gataḥ॥12-5-15॥
Thus, your brother, having been cursed and deceived by many, is not to be mourned; for that tiger among men has met his end in battle.
