Shloka 31

Nara-Nārāyaṇa Precedent and Bhīṣma’s Counsel on Kṛṣṇa–Arjuna; Karṇa’s Reply

Devanagari script

नाचरं वृजिनं किंचिद्‌ धार्तराष्ट्रस्य नित्यश: । मुझमें कौन-सा ऐसा दुराचार है जिसके कारण आप मेरी निन्दा करते हैं। महाराज धृतराष्ट्रके पुत्रोने कभी मेरा कोई पापाचार देखा या जाना हो ऐसी बात नहीं है। मैंने दुर्योधनका कभी कोई अनिष्ट नहीं किया है |। ३० इ ।। अहं हि पाण्डवान्‌ सर्वान्‌ हनिष्यामि रणे स्थितान्‌

Transliteration

nācaram vṛjinam kiñcid dhārtarāṣṭrasya nityaśaḥ | ahaṃ hi pāṇḍavān sarvān haniṣyāmi raṇe sthitān ||

Translation

কৰ্ণই ক’লে—ধৃতৰাষ্ট্ৰৰ পুত্ৰৰ প্ৰতি মই কেতিয়াও কোনো পাপাচৰণ কৰা নাই। তেন্তে মোৰ ভিতৰত কোন দুষ্কর্ম আছে যে আপুনি মোক নিন্দা কৰে? মই দুঃৰ্যোধনৰ কেতিয়াও অনিষ্ট কৰা নাই; বৰঞ্চ ৰণক্ষেত্ৰত থিয় হৈ মই সকলো পাণ্ডৱক বধ কৰিম—এই মোৰ সংকল্প।

Word by Word

• {'na': 'not', 'ācaram (ācaran/ācāra)': 'conducting

• behaving', 'vṛjinam': 'sin, wrongdoing, moral fault', 'kiñcit': 'anything, even the least', 'dhārtarāṣṭrasya': 'of Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s son (i.e., Duryodhana)', 'nityaśaḥ': 'always, continually', 'aham': 'I', 'hi': 'indeed, surely', 'pāṇḍavān': 'the sons of Pāṇḍu (the Pāṇḍavas)', 'sarvān': 'all', 'haniṣyāmi': 'I will kill, I shall slay', 'raṇe': 'in battle', 'sthitān': 'standing, stationed, arrayed'}

Speaker

कर्ण उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Karna
• Duryodhana
• Dhritarashtra
• Pandavas

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights Karna’s ethical self-justification: he frames loyalty and gratitude to Duryodhana as a moral duty, denying any personal wrongdoing toward him. It also shows how commitment to an ally can harden into a vow of violence, raising the tension between personal loyalty and broader dharma.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Udyoga Parva, amid negotiations and rising war-fever, Karna responds to criticism by asserting that he has never acted wrongly toward Duryodhana (Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s son). He then declares his determination to fight and kill the Pāṇḍavas in the coming battle.