Shloka 553
Aśvatthāman’s Arrow-Screen and the Confrontation with Yudhiṣṭhira (द्रौणि–युधिष्ठिर-संग्रामः)
कर्ण वा जधघ्नतुः कृष्णौ कर्णो वा निजघान तौ । नीच देशमें उत्पन्न शल्य! आज यहाँ सुननेवाले सुनेंगे और देखनेवाले देख लेंगे कि “श्रीकृष्ण और अर्जुनने कर्णको मारा या कर्णने ही उन दोनोंको मार गिराया”
karṇa vā jighnatuḥ kṛṣṇau karṇo vā nijaghāna tau | nīca-deśe utpanna śalya! adya iha śrotāraḥ śroṣyanti draṣṭāraś ca drakṣyanti yat “śrīkṛṣṇa-arjunābhyāṃ karṇo hataḥ” athavā “karṇenaiva tau ubhau nipātitau” iti ||
Karna sprach: „Entweder werden Krishna und Arjuna Karna niederstrecken, oder Karna wird jene beiden niederstrecken. O Shalya, in einem niedrigen Land geboren! Heute, hier, werden die Hörenden hören und die Sehenden sehen, was wahr ist—ob ‘Sri Krishna und Arjuna Karna erschlugen’, oder ob ‘Karna selbst beide zu Fall brachte’.“
कर्ण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage highlights how warriors seek moral validation through public reputation, but also warns ethically about pride and contempt: Karna’s confidence is coupled with an insult to Shalya’s origin, showing how adharma can enter through speech even when one claims kshatriya honor.
On the eve of decisive combat, Karna declares that the outcome will settle, before all witnesses, whether Krishna and Arjuna defeat him or he defeats them. He addresses Shalya sharply, asserting that the battlefield will publicly prove whose claim stands.