Mahabharata · Chapter 7.5
rathasthaṃ puruṣavyāghraṃ dṛṣṭā karṇamavasthitam /
hṛṣṭo duryodhano rājannidaṃ vacanamabravīt //
sanāthamiva manye'haṃ bhavatā pālitaṃ balam /
atra kiṃ nu samarthaṃ yaddhitaṃ tatsampradhāryatām //
karṇa uvāca /
brūhi naḥ puruṣavyāghra tvaṃ hi prājñatamo nṛṣu /
yathā cārthapatiḥ kṛtyaṃ paśyate na tathetaraḥ //
te sma sarve tava vacaḥ śrotukāmā nareśvara /
nānyāyyaṃ hi bhavānvākyaṃ brūyāditi matirmama //
duryodhana uvāca /
bhīṣmaḥ senāpraṇetā'sīdvayasā vikrameṇa ca /
śrutena copasampannaḥ sarvairyodhagaṇaistathā //
tenātiyaśasā karṇa ghnatā śatrugaṇānmama /
suyuddhena daśāhāni pālitāḥ smo mahātmanā //
tasminnasukaraṃ karma kṛtavatyāsthite divam /
kaṃ tu senāpraṇetāraṃ manyase tadanantaram //
na vinā nāyakaṃ senā muhūrtamapi tiṣṭhati / āhaveṣu viśeṣeṇa bhraṣṭanetreṣvivāñjanam /
āhaveṣvāhavaśreṣṭha netṛhīneva naurjale //
yathā hyakarṇadhārā nau rathaścāsārathiryathā /
dravedyatheṣṭaṃ tadvatsyādṛte senāpatiṃ balam //
adeśiko yathā sārthaḥ sarvaḥ kṛcchraṃ samṛcchati /
anāyakā tathā senā sarvāndoṣānsamarcchati //
sa bhāvanvīkṣya sarveṣu māmakeṣu mahātmasu /
paśya senāpatiṃ yuktamanu śāntanavādiha //
yaṃ hi senāprametāraṃ bhavānvakṣyati saṃyuge / taṃ vayaṃ sahitāḥ sarve kariṣyāmo na saṃśayaḥ /
karṇa uvāca /
sarva eva mahātmāna ime puruṣasattamāḥ /
senāpatitvamarhanti nātra kāryā vicāraṇā //
kulasaṃhananajñānairbalavikramabuddhibhiḥ /
yuktāḥ śrutajñā dhīmanta āhaveṣvanivartinaḥ //
yugapanna tu te śakyāḥ kartuṃ sarve puraḥsarāḥ /
eka eva tu kartavyo yasminvaiśeṣikā guṇāḥ //
anyonyaspardhināṃ hyeṣāṃ yadyekaṃ tvaṃ kariṣyasi /
śeṣā vimanaso vyaktaṃ na yotsyanti hitāstava //
ayaṃ ca sarvayodhānāmācāryaḥ sthivaro guruḥ /
yuktaḥ senāpatiḥ kartuṃ droṇaḥ śastrabhṛtāṃ varaḥ //
ko hi tiṣṭhati durdharṣe droṇe śastrabhṛtāṃ vare /
senāpatiḥsyādanyosmācchukrāṅgirasadarśanāt //
na ca so'pyasti te yodhaḥ sarvarājasu bhārata /
droṇaṃ yaḥ samare yāntamanuyāsyati saṃyuge //
eṣa senāpraṇetṝṇāmeṣa śastrabhṛtāmapi /
eṣa buddhimatāṃ caiva śreṣṭho rājangurustava //
evaṃ duryodhanācāryamāśu senāpatiṃ kuru /
jigīṣanto surānsaṅkhye kārtikeyamivāmarāḥ //
Original text: Mahābhārata (southern recension) · Edition: Śrīman Mahābhāratam, ed. T. R. Krishnacharya and T. R. Vyasacharya, Nirnaya Sagar Press, Bombay 1906–1910; e-text by SARIT (Shrinivasa Varakhedi and others) · SARIT: Search and Retrieval of Indic Texts · SARIT (e-text) via Internet Archive · CC BY-SA 3.0