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Shloka 43

कर्ण कर्ण महेष्वास कृप दुर्योधनेति च,“कर्ण! कर्ण! महाधनुर्धर कृपाचार्य! और दुर्योधन! अब तुमलोग स्वयं ही युद्धमें विजय पानेके लिये प्रयत्न करो, यही मैं तुमसे बारंबार कहता हूँ। पाण्डवोंसे तुम-लोगोंका कल्याण हो। अब मैं अस्त्र-शस्त्रोंका त्याग कर रहा हूँ!

sañjaya uvāca | karṇa karṇa maheṣvāsa kṛpa duryodhaneti ca |

Sañjaya said: “Karṇa! Karṇa! O great archer! O Kṛpa! And you too, Duryodhana!”—thus he called out, repeatedly urging them to strive for victory by their own effort in the battle. He then declared that he was laying aside his weapons, invoking their welfare even in the face of the Pāṇḍavas.

कर्णO Karna
कर्ण:
Sampradana
TypeNoun
Rootकर्ण
FormMasculine, Vocative, Singular
कर्णO Karna
कर्ण:
Sampradana
TypeNoun
Rootकर्ण
FormMasculine, Vocative, Singular
महेष्वासO great archer (lit. one having a great bow)
महेष्वास:
Sampradana
TypeNoun
Rootमहेष्वास
FormMasculine, Vocative, Singular
कृपO Kripa
कृप:
Sampradana
TypeNoun
Rootकृप
FormMasculine, Vocative, Singular
दुर्योधनO Duryodhana
दुर्योधन:
Sampradana
TypeNoun
Rootदुर्योधन
FormMasculine, Vocative, Singular
इतिthus (quotative)
इति:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootइति
and
:
TypeIndeclinable
Root

संजय उवाच

S
Sañjaya
K
Karṇa
K
Kṛpa (Kṛpācārya)
D
Duryodhana
P
Pāṇḍavas
W
weapons (astra-śastra)

Educational Q&A

The verse highlights the ethical pressure of war: even while urging warriors to rely on their own effort for victory, the speaker’s decision to abandon weapons signals moral fatigue and the recognition that violence corrodes resolve. It frames victory not as mere fate but as personal exertion, yet also shows the limits of endurance within adharma-tinged conflict.

Sañjaya reports a scene in which a speaker calls out to Karṇa, Kṛpa, and Duryodhana by name, repeatedly exhorting them to strive for victory in battle. Immediately after, he declares that he is giving up the use of weapons, implying withdrawal from fighting at that moment.