Shloka 146
आदि पर्व, अध्याय 67 — गान्धर्वविवाह-समयः
Duḥṣanta–Śakuntalā: Gandharva Marriage and Succession Condition
देवासुरमनुष्याणां गन्धर्वोरगरक्षसाम् । यस्मिन् क्षेप्स्यसि दुर्धर्ष स एको न भविष्यति,कर्णने अपने शरीरमें चिपके हुए कवच और कुण्डलोंको उधेड़कर दे दिया। इन्द्रने विस्मित होकर कर्णको एक शक्ति प्रदान की और कहा--दुर्धर्ष वीर! तुम देवता, असुर, मनुष्य, गन्धर्व, नाग और राक्षसोंमेंसे जिसपर भी इस शक्तिको चलाओगे, वह एक व्यक्ति निश्चय ही अपने प्राणोंसे हाथ धो बैठेगा”
devāsura-manuṣyāṇāṁ gandharvoraga-rakṣasām | yasmin kṣepsyasi durdharṣa sa eko na bhaviṣyati ||
Vaiśampāyana sprach: „O unbezwingbarer Held! Unter Göttern, Asuras, Menschen, Gandharvas, Nāgas und Rākṣasas — wen immer du mit dieser Waffe triffst, jener eine wird nicht überleben.“
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage highlights the moral weight of dāna (self-giving) and the complex ethics of power: Karṇa’s generosity elicits a divine reward, yet the reward is constrained to a single lethal use, underscoring that boons can carry limits and consequences, and that extraordinary power demands restraint and discernment.
After Karṇa gives away his innate armor and earrings, Indra—astonished—grants him a śakti (divine missile). Indra declares that among all classes of beings, whoever is targeted by this weapon will certainly die, but the boon is effectively framed as a single decisive kill.