Shloka 99
त्वं चेत् कर्णसुतं पार्थ सूतपुत्रस्य पश्यत: । प्रतिज्ञावारणार्थाय निहनिष्यसि सायकै:
sañjaya uvāca | tvaṃ cet karṇasutaṃ pārtha sūtaputrasya paśyataḥ | pratijñā-vāraṇārthāya nihaniṣyasi sāyakaiḥ |
Sañjaya sprach: „O Pārtha, du, der die Ehrwürdigen ehrt—wenn du vor den Augen Karṇas, des Sohns des Wagenlenkers, seinen Sohn Vṛṣasena mit Pfeilen niederstreckst, um dein Gelübde zu erfüllen und das Hindernis zu beseitigen, dann wird jener Karṇa von finsterem Sinn, da er den geliebten Sohn erschlagen sieht, gezwungen sein, der Mahnungen zu gedenken, die einst Droṇa, Bhīṣma und Vidura gesprochen haben.“
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical tension between keeping a vow (pratijñā) and the human cost of fulfilling it in war. It suggests that decisive action taken for dharma-bound commitments can trigger moral reflection in opponents—here, Karṇa’s grief may awaken remembrance of earlier wise counsel.
Sañjaya describes a scenario to Dhṛtarāṣṭra: if Arjuna kills Karṇa’s son Vṛṣasena in Karṇa’s presence to clear the way for his own vowed objective, Karṇa—struck by the sight of his son’s death—will recall the admonitions previously given by Droṇa, Bhīṣma, and Vidura.