Shloka 147
आदि पर्व, अध्याय 67 — गान्धर्वविवाह-समयः
Duḥṣanta–Śakuntalā: Gandharva Marriage and Succession Condition
पुरा नाम च तस्यासीद् वसुषेण इति क्षितौ । ततो वैकर्तन: कर्ण: कर्मणा तेन सो5भवत्,पहले कर्णका नाम इस पृथ्वीपर वसुषेण था। फिर कवच और कुण्डल काटनेके कारण वह वैकर्तन नामसे प्रसिद्ध हुआ
purā nāma ca tasyāsīd vasuṣeṇa iti kṣitau | tato vaikartanaḥ karṇaḥ karmaṇā tena so 'bhavat ||
Vaiśampāyana sprach: Einst, auf dieser Erde, trug er den Namen Vasuṣeṇa. Später aber, wegen jener Tat — weil er seinen angeborenen Panzer und die Ohrringe abschnitt — wurde Karṇa unter dem Beinamen Vaikartana bekannt.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
A person’s identity in society is often shaped by decisive actions (karma). Here, Karna’s later epithet ‘Vaikartana’ memorializes a morally weighty deed—cutting away his innate armor and earrings—showing how reputation becomes inseparable from action and its ethical implications.
Vaiśampāyana explains Karna’s naming: he was earlier called Vasuṣeṇa, and later became प्रसिद्ध as ‘Vaikartana’ because he cut off his kavaca and kuṇḍalas—an act that became defining enough to rename him.