Shloka 72
अस्त्रयुद्धे द्रौणिपार्थसंघर्षः — Karṇa’s Bhārgavāstra and the Search for Yudhiṣṭhira
Chapter 45
“कर्ण! लाल नेत्रोंवाले उन शत्रुसंतापी पुरुषसिंह श्रीकृष्ण और अर्जुनको आज तुम एक रथपर बैठे हुए देखोगे ।। सारथिर्यस्य वार्ष्णेयो गाण्डीवं यस्य कार्मुकम् । त॑ चेद्धन्तासि राधेय त्वं नो राजा भविष्यसि,'राधापुत्र! श्रीकृष्ण जिनके सारथि हैं और गाण्डीव जिनका धनुष है, उन अर्जुनको यदि तुमने मार लिया तो तुम हमारे राजा हो जाओगे
sañjaya uvāca |
karṇa! lāla-netrau vāle śatru-santāpī puruṣa-siṃhau śrīkṛṣṇa-arjunau adya tvaṃ eka-rathe upaviṣṭau drakṣyasi ||
sārathir yasya vārṣṇeyo gāṇḍīvaṃ yasya kārmukam |
taṃ ced dhantāsi rādheya tvaṃ no rājā bhaviṣyasi ||
Sañjaya sprach: „Karna! Heute wirst du Śrī Kṛṣṇa und Arjuna sehen—Männer wie Löwen, die ihre Feinde versengen—gemeinsam auf einem einzigen Wagen sitzend. Dessen Wagenlenker der Vārṣṇeya (Kṛṣṇa) ist und dessen Bogen Gāṇḍīva heißt: Wenn du diesen Arjuna töten kannst, o Sohn der Rādhā, dann wirst du unser König sein.“
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how political reward and ambition are used to spur a warrior toward a decisive, ethically weighty act—killing a foremost opponent. It also underscores the perceived invincibility created by the union of Arjuna’s martial prowess with Kṛṣṇa’s guidance, implying that victory is not merely physical strength but also strategic and moral support.
Sañjaya addresses Karna, describing the formidable sight of Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna together on one chariot. He then frames a conditional promise: if Karna can kill Arjuna—whose charioteer is Kṛṣṇa and whose bow is Gāṇḍīva—Karna will become their king, intensifying the stakes of the coming confrontation.