Shloka 124
“नरश्रेष्ठ! पार्थ! आज तुम अपनी प्रतिज्ञाके अनुसार तीखे बाणोंसे कर्णका वध करके उज्ज्वल कीर्ति प्राप्त करो ।।
sañjaya uvāca | naraśreṣṭha pārtha adya tvaṃ svapratijñānusāreṇa tīkṣṇabāṇaiḥ karṇavadhaṃ kṛtvā ujjvalāṃ kīrtiṃ prāpnuhi | tvaṃ hi śakto raṇe jetuṃ sa-karṇān api kauravān | nānyo yudhi yudhāṃśreṣṭha satyam etad bravīmi te ||
Sañjaya sprach: „O Bester der Menschen, o Pārtha! Heute, deinem Gelübde gemäß, töte Karna mit deinen scharfen Pfeilen und erringe strahlenden Ruhm. Denn du allein vermagst es im Kampf, die Kauravas allesamt zu besiegen, selbst wenn Karna unter ihnen ist. Kein anderer Krieger kann dies im Krieg vollbringen, o Bester der Kämpfer—das sage ich dir in Wahrheit.“
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores kṣatriya-dharma expressed through fidelity to one’s pratijñā (vow): ethical resolve must be carried through decisively in a righteous cause. It also frames fame (kīrti) as the social-ethical fruit of steadfast duty performed without wavering at a critical moment.
Sanjaya addresses Arjuna (Partha), urging him that the day has come to fulfill his pledge by killing Karna with sharp arrows. He asserts Arjuna’s unique capability to defeat the Kaurava host even with Karna present, strengthening Arjuna’s confidence and emphasizing the decisive nature of the confrontation.