Shloka 302
तब शत्रुओंका संहार करनेवाला राधानन्दन कर्ण उस स्वप्नकी घटनाको यथार्थ जानकर शक्ति प्राप्त करनेकी ही अभिलाषा ले इन्द्रकी प्रतीक्षा करने लगा ।। इति श्रीमहाभारते वनपर्वणि कुण्डलाहरणपर्वणि सूर्यकर्णसंवादे दयधिकत्रिशततमो<ध्याय:
tataḥ śatrūṇāṃ saṃhāra-karaṇe samarthaḥ rādhānandanaḥ karṇaḥ tasya svapnasya ghaṭanāṃ yathārthaṃ jñātvā śakti-prāptiṃ prati eva abhīlāṣaṃ kṛtvā indrasya pratīkṣāṃ cakāra. iti śrīmahābhārate vanaparvaṇi kuṇḍalāharaṇa-parvaṇi sūrya-karṇa-saṃvāde pañcādhika-triśatatamo 'dhyāyaḥ.
Da erkannte Karṇa, der Sohn der Rādhā und Bezwinger der Feinde, das Geschehen des Traumes als wahres Vorzeichen. Sein Sinn war einzig darauf gerichtet, die göttliche Waffe (śakti) zu erlangen, und so begann er, Indras Ankunft zu erwarten. So endet im Mahābhārata, im Vana Parva, im Abschnitt über die Wegnahme der Ohrringe, im Gespräch zwischen Sūrya und Karṇa, Kapitel 305.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how foreknowledge and omens can shape human choice: Karna, recognizing a dream as true, directs his will toward acquiring power (the śakti). Ethically, it underscores the tension between seeking strength for victory and the broader demands of dharma—how intention and attachment to outcomes can steer one’s actions.
After receiving a warning through the Surya–Karna exchange and interpreting the dream as a real sign, Karna focuses on obtaining Indra’s śakti. He therefore waits for Indra, anticipating the encounter that will lead to the famed episode of giving away his natural protections (earrings/armor) in exchange for a boon.