Shloka 18
जतुगृहदाहः — The Burning of the Lac House and the Pāṇḍavas’ Concealed Escape
अजुन उवाच अनाहूतोपसृष्टानामनाहूतोपजल्पिनाम् । ये लोकास्तान् हत:ः कर्ण मया त्वं प्रतिपत्स्यसे,अर्जुन बोले--कर्ण! बिना बुलाये आनेवालों और बिना बुलाये बोलनेवालोंको जो (निन्दनीय) लोक प्राप्त होते हैं, मेरे द्वारा मारे जानेपर तुम उन्हीं लोकोंमें जाओगे
arjuna uvāca | anāhūtopasṛṣṭānām anāhūtopajalpinām | ye lokās tān hataḥ karṇa mayā tvaṃ pratipatsyase ||
Arjuna sprach: „Karṇa! Von denen, die ungerufen eindringen und ungebeten reden, heißt es, sie fielen in tadelnswerte Welten. Wenn du von mir erschlagen wirst, wirst du eben jene Welten erlangen.“
अजुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a social-ethical norm: entering an assembly uninvited and speaking without being called upon are censured behaviors, believed to lead to blameworthy consequences. Arjuna weaponizes this norm as a moral rebuke, linking improper conduct with an inferior posthumous destiny.
Arjuna addresses Karna directly in a confrontational exchange. He condemns Karna’s presence and/or speech as presumptuous and declares that, once Arjuna kills him, Karna will go to the disparaged realms allotted to such offenders—turning ethical censure into a threat within the escalating rivalry.