Shloka 6
Droṇa-parva Adhyāya 2: Karṇa’s lament, vow, and battle preparation after Bhīṣma’s fall
नेह ध्रुवं किंचन जातु विद्यते लोके हास्मिन् कर्मणोडनित्ययोगात् । सूर्योदये को हि विमुक्तसंशयो भावं कुर्वीतार्यमहाव्रते हते,निश्चय ही इस संसारमें कर्मोके अनित्य सम्बन्धसे कभी कोई वस्तु स्थिर नहीं रहती है। श्रेष्ठ एवं महान् व्रतधारी भीष्मजीके मारे जानेपर कौन संशयरहित होकर कह सकता है कि कल सूर्योदय होगा ही (अर्थात् जीवन अनित्य होनेके कारण हममेंसे कौन कलका सूर्योदय देख सकेगा, यह कहना कठिन है। जब मृत्युंजयी भीष्मजी भी मारे गये, तब हमारे जीवनकी क्या आशा है?)
neha dhruvaṃ kiṃcana jātu vidyate loke hāsmin karmaṇo 'nityayogāt | sūryodaye ko hi vimuktasaṃśayo bhāvaṃ kurvīt āryamahāvrate hate ||
Karna said: “In this world nothing is ever truly fixed or guaranteed, for action is bound to impermanence. Who, free from doubt, could confidently assert that the sun will surely rise tomorrow—when even Bhīṣma, the noble one of great vows, has been struck down? If such a steadfast pillar can fall, what certainty can there be about our own continuance?”
कर्ण उवाच
Educational Q&A
Karna underscores anitya (impermanence): because all worldly life is entangled with transient action and circumstance, certainty is fragile. Bhishma’s fall becomes a moral-existential proof that even the most disciplined and venerable are not exempt from change and death.
In the aftermath of Bhishma being brought down in battle, Karna reflects on the shock to the Kuru side’s confidence. He argues that if such a mighty, great-vowed elder can be felled, no one can speak with absolute assurance even about living to see the next sunrise.