Shloka 25
द्रोणकर्णयोः निशि संप्रहारः — Night Engagement with Droṇa and Karṇa
दुर्योधनमिदं वाक्य प्रत्युवाच कुरूत्तमम् । आर्य! आपके पुत्रके ऐसा कहनेपर राधानन्दन कर्णने कुरुश्रेष्ठ दुर्योधनसे इस प्रकार कहा-- || २४ $ || दृढलक्ष्येण वीरेण भीमसेनेन धन्विना,“मानद! सुदृढ़ लक्ष्यवाले वीर धनुर्धर भीमसेनने संग्राममें अपने बाणसमूहोंद्वारा अनेक बार मेरे शरीरको अत्यन्त क्षत-विक्षत कर दिया है। मुझे खड़ा रहना चाहिये (भागना नहीं चाहिये), यह सोचकर ही इस समय मैं रणभूमिमें ठहरा हुआ हूँ
duryodhanam idaṃ vākyaṃ pratyuvāca kurūttamam | ārya! āpake putrake aisā kahanepara rādhānandana karṇane kuruśreṣṭha duryodhanase isa prakāra kahā-- || 24 || dṛḍhalakṣyeṇa vīreṇa bhīmasenena dhanvinā, mānada! sudṛḍha lakṣyavāle vīra dhanurdhara bhīmasenane saṅgrāmameṃ apane bāṇasamūhoṃdvārā aneka bāra mere śarīrako atyanta kṣata-vikṣata kara diyā hai | mujhe khaḍā rahanā cāhiye (bhāganā nahīṃ cāhiye), yaha socakara hī isa samaya maiṃ raṇabhūmimeṃ ṭhaharā huā hūṃ
Sañjaya said: In reply to those words, Karṇa, Rādhā’s son, addressed Duryodhana, foremost of the Kurus: “O noble one, the heroic archer Bhīmasena, unwavering in aim, has again and again in battle torn my body with volleys of arrows. Precisely because I have resolved, ‘I must stand my ground and not flee,’ I remain here on the battlefield even now.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage foregrounds the warrior-ethic of steadfastness: even when grievously wounded, a kshatriya is expected to uphold honor by standing firm rather than fleeing. Karna frames endurance and refusal to retreat as a deliberate moral resolve.
After Duryodhana has spoken, Karna responds, acknowledging that Bhima’s accurate archery has repeatedly injured him. He explains that he remains on the battlefield because he has consciously decided to hold his ground despite the damage.