Shloka 10

Devanagari script

कर्ण मद्गबचनं तात शृणु सत्यभूतां वर । ब्रुवतो5द्य महाबाहो सौहृदात्‌ परमं हितम्‌,'सत्यधारियोंमें श्रेष्ठ तात कर्ण! मेरी बात सुनो। महाबाहो! मैं सौहार्दवश आज तुम्हारे परम हितकी बात कहता हूँ

Transliteration

Vaiśampāyana uvāca: Karṇa mad-vacanaṃ tāta śṛṇu satya-bhūtāṃ vara; bruvato 'dya mahābāho sauhṛdāt paramaṃ hitam.

Translation

Vaiśampāyana sprach: „O Karṇa, mein lieber Sohn — der Beste unter den Wahrhaftigen — höre meine Worte. O du mit den mächtigen Armen, heute spreche ich aus Freundschaft und verkünde, was deinem höchsten Wohl dient.“

Word by Word

कर्णO Karna

मत्from me / of mine

वचनम्speech, words

तातdear one / son

शृणुhear, listen

सत्यभूताम्true, truthful (having become truth)

वरO best/excellent one

ब्रुवतःof (me) speaking

अद्यtoday

महाबाहोO mighty-armed one

सौहृदात्from friendship / out of goodwill

परमम्supreme, highest

हितम्welfare, benefit

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Karṇa

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse frames ethical counsel as an act of friendship: one should speak truthfully and for another’s highest welfare (parama hitam), not merely to win an argument or assert power.

What is happening in the narrative?

The narrator Vaiśampāyana introduces a direct address to Karṇa, urging him to listen because what follows is intended as sincere, friendly guidance aimed at Karṇa’s ultimate good.