Shloka 70
कर्णनिधनवृत्तान्तनिवेदनम् | Reporting Karṇa’s Fall to Yudhiṣṭhira
तस्माद् भवान् परं धर्म वेद सर्व यथातथम् । तीनों लोकोंमें कहीं कोई भी ऐसी बात नहीं है जो आपको विदित न हो; अत: आप ही परम धर्मको सम्पूर्ण और यथार्थरूपसे जानते हैं ।।
tasmād bhavān paraṃ dharma veda sarvaṃ yathātatham | avadhyaṃ pāṇḍavaṃ manye dharmarājaṃ yudhiṣṭhiram |
Arjuna sprach: „Darum kennst du das höchste Dharma — alles genau so, wie es in Wahrheit ist. Ich halte den Pāṇḍava, König Yudhiṣṭhira, den Dharmarāja, für einen, der nicht getötet werden darf. So zeige mir aus Gnade einen Weg, wie mein Gelübde gewahrt werden kann, ohne dass ich die Sünde begehe, meinen eigenen Bruder zu töten.“
अर्जुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even in war, dharma is not merely victory-oriented: Arjuna frames a moral limit—his elder brother Yudhiṣṭhira is ‘avadhya’ (not to be slain)—and seeks a way to honor a vow without violating higher ethical duties such as reverence for elders and avoidance of grievous sin.
In the Karṇa Parva context, Arjuna addresses a revered authority (implicitly Kṛṣṇa as charioteer and guide), acknowledging his complete knowledge of dharma, and asks for guidance: he has a mental resolve/vow but refuses to treat Yudhiṣṭhira as a legitimate target, requesting a solution that preserves his pledge without killing his brother.