Shloka 72
कर्णनिधनवृत्तान्तनिवेदनम् | Reporting Karṇa’s Fall to Yudhiṣṭhira
जानासि दाशार्ह मम व्रतं त्वं यो मां ब्रूयात् कश्नन मानुषेषु । अन्यस्मै त्वं गाण्डिवं देहि पार्थ त्वत्तोउस्त्रैर्वा वीर्यतो वा विशिष्ट:
jānāsi dāśārha mama vrataṁ tvaṁ yo māṁ brūyāt kaścana mānuṣeṣu | anyasmai tvaṁ gāṇḍīvaṁ dehi pārtha tvatto 'strair vā vīryato vā viśiṣṭaḥ ||
Arjuna sprach: „O Dāśārha, du kennst mein Gelübde. Wenn irgendein Mensch unter den Menschen zu mir sagte: ‚Pārtha, gib deinen Bogen Gāṇḍīva einem anderen — einem, der dich entweder in der Waffenmeisterschaft oder an Kraft übertrifft‘, dann, o Keśava, würde ich diesen Mann mit Gewalt erschlagen. Und doch hat König Yudhiṣṭhira in deiner eigenen Gegenwart wieder und wieder zu mir gesagt: ‚Gib deinen Bogen einem anderen.‘“
अर्जुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage highlights the ethical danger of rigid vows tied to personal honor: when a vow mandates violence in response to words, it can collide with dharma and family duty. It implicitly urges discernment and restraint—especially in war—so that honor does not override righteousness.
Arjuna reminds Kṛṣṇa of a personal vow: if anyone tells him to give his bow Gāṇḍīva to someone superior, he would kill that speaker. He then complains that Yudhiṣṭhira has repeatedly said exactly this in Kṛṣṇa’s presence, creating a moral and emotional crisis for Arjuna.