Shloka 30
अर्जुनकर्णसंनिपातवर्णनम् / The Convergence of Arjuna and Karṇa
यः पर्युपासीत् प्रदिशो दिशश्नव त्वां सूतपुत्र: समरे परीप्सन् | दित्सु: कर्ण: समरे हस्तिषड्गवं स हीदानीं कड्कपत्रैः सुतीक्षणै:
yāḥ paryupāsīt pradīśo diśaś caiva tvāṃ sūtaputraḥ samare parīpsan | ditsūḥ karṇaḥ samare hastisaḍgavaṃ sa hīdānīṃ kaṅkapatraiḥ sutīkṣṇaiḥ śaraiḥ, arjuna, samaraṅgaṇe tvayā hataḥ pṛthivyāṃ śete kim ||
Yudhiṣṭhira sprach: «Jener Karṇa, der Sohn des Wagenlenkers—der, dich im Kampf suchend, alle Himmelsrichtungen und Zwischenrichtungen durchstreifte und dem, der deinen Aufenthaltsort verriete, als Lohn sechs Ochsen, groß wie ein Elefant, versprach—, o Arjuna, liegt dieser ruchlose Mann nun auf der Erde, von dir auf dem Schlachtfeld erschlagen durch deine pfeilscharfen, wie Rasiermesser schneidenden Geschosse, befiedert mit Reiherfedern (heron-feathers)? Indem du heute den Sohn des Wagenlenkers im Kriegsfeld getötet hast, hast du mir eine Aufgabe erfüllt, die mir über alles lieb war.»
युधिषछ्िर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the moral complexity of wartime duty: a long-feared adversary who relentlessly sought Arjuna is finally brought down, and Yudhiṣṭhira frames the act as the completion of a ‘most dear task.’ It reflects how dharma in war can be experienced as necessary yet emotionally charged—relief and fulfillment mixed with the gravity of killing.
After Karṇa’s fall, Yudhiṣṭhira addresses Arjuna, recalling Karṇa’s earlier pursuit across all directions and his promised reward to anyone who could reveal Arjuna’s whereabouts. He asks whether that same Karṇa now lies slain on the battlefield by Arjuna’s sharp, feather-fletched arrows, and declares that Arjuna has accomplished a deeply desired objective for him.