Shloka 11
Sundopasundayoḥ Tapas–Varadāna–Prasaṅgaḥ
Sunda and Upasunda: Austerities and the Boon
इदं त्वद्य क्षमं कर्तुमस्माकं पुरुषर्षभ । यावन्न कृतमूलास्ते पाण्डवेया विशाम्पते,“राजन! इस समय हमारे लिये एक ही उपाय काममें लानेयोग्य है; वे पुरुषश्रेष्ठ पाण्डव जबतक अपनी जड़ नहीं जमा लेते, तभीतक उनपर प्रहार करना चाहिये। इसीसे वे काबूमें आ सकते हैं।' तात! मैं समझता हूँ, तुम्हें भी यह राय पसंद होगी। जबतक हमारा पक्ष बढ़ा-चढ़ा है और जबतक पांचालराजका बल हमसे कम है, तभीतक उनपर आक्रमण कर दिया जाय। इसमें दूसरा कुछ विचार न करो
idaṃ tv adya kṣamaṃ kartum asmākaṃ puruṣarṣabha | yāvan na kṛtamūlāste pāṇḍaveyā viśāmpate ||
Karna said: “O bull among men, this is the only course fitting for us to take today. O lord of the people, so long as the sons of Pāṇḍu have not yet taken firm root, we must strike them now. Only thus can they be brought under control.”
कर्ण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a realpolitik mindset: strike an opponent before they become established and powerful. Ethically, it illustrates the tension between expedient power-politics and dharmic restraint, since urging a pre-emptive attack on vulnerable rivals tends toward adharma.
Karna addresses a king (the ‘lord of the people’) and urges immediate action against the Pāṇḍavas, arguing that they have not yet become firmly entrenched and can therefore be subdued if attacked now.