Shloka 31

Nara-Nārāyaṇa Precedent and Bhīṣma’s Counsel on Kṛṣṇa–Arjuna; Karṇa’s Reply

Devanagari script

नाचरं वृजिनं किंचिद्‌ धार्तराष्ट्रस्य नित्यश: । मुझमें कौन-सा ऐसा दुराचार है जिसके कारण आप मेरी निन्दा करते हैं। महाराज धृतराष्ट्रके पुत्रोने कभी मेरा कोई पापाचार देखा या जाना हो ऐसी बात नहीं है। मैंने दुर्योधनका कभी कोई अनिष्ट नहीं किया है |। ३० इ ।।

Transliteration

nācaram vṛjinam kiñcid dhārtarāṣṭrasya nityaśaḥ | ahaṃ hi pāṇḍavān sarvān haniṣyāmi raṇe sthitān ||

Translation

Karna sagte: „Ich habe zu keiner Zeit irgendein Unrecht gegen Dhṛtarāṣṭras Sohn begangen. Welches Fehlverhalten ist also an mir, dass du mich tadelst? Duryodhana habe ich niemals geschadet; vielmehr bin ich entschlossen, alle Pāṇḍavas zu erschlagen, sobald sie sich in der Schlacht aufstellen.“

Word by Word

• {'na': 'not', 'ācaram (ācaran/ācāra)': 'conducting

• behaving', 'vṛjinam': 'sin, wrongdoing, moral fault', 'kiñcit': 'anything, even the least', 'dhārtarāṣṭrasya': 'of Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s son (i.e., Duryodhana)', 'nityaśaḥ': 'always, continually', 'aham': 'I', 'hi': 'indeed, surely', 'pāṇḍavān': 'the sons of Pāṇḍu (the Pāṇḍavas)', 'sarvān': 'all', 'haniṣyāmi': 'I will kill, I shall slay', 'raṇe': 'in battle', 'sthitān': 'standing, stationed, arrayed'}

Speaker

कर्ण उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Karna
• Duryodhana
• Dhritarashtra
• Pandavas

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights Karna’s ethical self-justification: he frames loyalty and gratitude to Duryodhana as a moral duty, denying any personal wrongdoing toward him. It also shows how commitment to an ally can harden into a vow of violence, raising the tension between personal loyalty and broader dharma.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Udyoga Parva, amid negotiations and rising war-fever, Karna responds to criticism by asserting that he has never acted wrongly toward Duryodhana (Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s son). He then declares his determination to fight and kill the Pāṇḍavas in the coming battle.