If Arjuna was superior to Karna, why does Bhagavatam say he was a small fish in an ocean of giant fishes?

Transcribed by: Argha Maji

Question: If Arjuna was superior to Karna, why does Bhagavatam say he was a small fish in an ocean of giant fishes?

Answer: That example is not of specifically Arjuna’s might against any individual Kaurava warrior fighter. It is an example for illustrating the overall strength of the two armies. Arjuna was definitely a fierceless warrior but he was one and apart from him the most formidable warrior was Bhima. But on the Kaurava side there were Bhishma, Drona, Kripa, Aśvatthāmā and so many others like Duryodhana who were all formidable warriors. And of course, Kauravas had 11 Akshauhinis whereas Pandavas had 7. So in terms of number of formidable warriors and in terms of soldiers, Kaurava might was far greater than the Pandava might. Especially when Arjuna entered the Kaurava rank on the 13th day all alone to avenge Abhimanyu’s death then he was literally like one single warrior among thousands and thousands of Kaurava soldiers and he was like one small fish in a giant ocean with timingalas. Even in that situation Krishna protected him and that is what the emphasis of Bhagavatam is. So clear assessment of the strength of warriors has to be done by elaborate analysis. But the Bhagavatam illustrates the overall comparison of the two forces and the principle of Krishna’s protection. Thank you. Hare Krishna