Shloka 3
स कर्ण त्वं समुत्सृज्य राक्षसेन्द्रमलायुधम् । जहि क्षिप्रं महाबाहो पश्चात् कर्ण वधिष्यसि,“महाबाहो! अतः तुम कर्णको छोड़कर पहले राक्षसराज अलायुधको शीघ्रतापूर्वक मार डालो। पीछे कर्णका वध करना”
sa karṇa tvaṃ samutsṛjya rākṣasendram alāyudham | jahi kṣipraṃ mahābāho paścāt karṇa vadhiṣyasi ||
Sañjaya said: “O mighty-armed one, set Karṇa aside for the moment and swiftly strike down Alāyudha, the lord of the Rākṣasas. After that, you may slay Karṇa.” The counsel reflects battlefield prudence: remove the immediate, disruptive threat first, then return to the principal adversary—so that duty in war is carried out effectively rather than impulsively.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Act with disciplined judgment in conflict: address the most immediate and destabilizing danger first, then pursue the larger objective. This aligns with dharma in warfare—effectiveness and restraint over rash fixation.
Sañjaya reports advice given to a great warrior: do not engage Karṇa right now; instead, quickly kill Alāyudha, the Rākṣasa leader, and only afterward return to the task of killing Karṇa.