Shloka 15
Droṇa-parva Adhyāya 2: Karṇa’s lament, vow, and battle preparation after Bhīṣma’s fall
अहं तु तान् कुरुवृषभानजिद्ागै: प्रवेशयन् यमसदनं चरन् रणे । यश: परं जगति विभाव्य वर्तिता परैर्हतो भुवि शयिताथवा पुन:,“मैं उन कुरुप्रवर पाण्डवोंको अपने सीधे जानेवाले बाणोंद्वारा यमलोकमें पहुँचाकर रणभूमिमें विचरूगा और संसारमें उत्तम यशका विस्तार करके रहूँगा अथवा शत्रुओंके हाथसे मारा जाकर युद्धभूमिमें सदाके लिये सो जाऊँगा
ahaṃ tu tān kuruvṛṣabhān ajidāgaiḥ praveśayan yamasadanaṃ caran raṇe | yaśaḥ paraṃ jagati vibhāvya vartitā parair hato bhuvi śayitāthavā punaḥ ||
“For my part, I shall drive those bull-like heroes of the Kurus into Yama’s abode with my unfailing, straight-flying arrows and then range about the battlefield, spreading the highest fame in the world; or else, struck down by the enemy, I shall lie upon the earth on the field of war.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a warrior’s ethic: in righteous battle one seeks either honorable victory and lasting fame through valor, or an honorable death on the battlefield—both outcomes are accepted without fear, emphasizing resolve, duty, and detachment toward life and death.
In Sañjaya’s report, a combatant’s vow is voiced: he will either slay the foremost Kuru heroes (understood in context as the Pāṇḍavas) with sure arrows and win renown while roaming the battlefield, or be killed by the enemy and fall upon the field—declaring unwavering determination before or during the fighting.