Shloka 20
रथचिह्नवर्णनम् / Description of Chariot Standards and Allied Advances
विषाग्निद्यूतसंक्लेशान् वनवासं च पाण्डवा: । स्मरमाणा न हास्यन्ति संग्राममिति मे मति:,मैं ऐसा मानता हूँ कि पाण्डव तुम्हारे द्वारा दिये हुए विष, अग्निदाह और द्यूतके क्लेशों तथा वनवासको याद करके कभी युद्धभूमि नहीं छोड़ेंगे
viṣāgnidyūta-saṅkleśān vanavāsaṃ ca pāṇḍavāḥ | smaramāṇā na hāsyanti saṅgrāmam iti me matiḥ ||
Karna said: “The Pāṇḍavas, remembering the sufferings caused by poison, the burning attempt, the misery of the dice-game, and their exile to the forest, will not abandon the battlefield. Such is my conviction.”
कर्ण उवाच
Educational Q&A
Past injustice becomes a moral and psychological fuel for steadfastness: Karna recognizes that the Pāṇḍavas’ remembrance of attempted murder (poison, fire), humiliation (dice), and hardship (exile) will harden their resolve, making retreat from war unlikely.
In the Drona Parva’s war context, Karna assesses the enemy’s mindset. He argues that the Pāṇḍavas, driven by memory of earlier wrongs and suffering, will remain committed to fighting rather than withdrawing from the battle.