Shloka 39
तामाशां हृदये कृत्वा कर्णमेवं तदाब्रवीत् । सूतपुत्र न ते पार्थ: स्थित्वाग्रे संयुयुत्मति,संजय कहते हैं--राजन्! आपके पुत्रके मनमें जो यह प्रबल आशा हो गयी थी कि भीष्म और द्रोणके मारे जानेपर कर्ण पाण्डवोंको जीत लेगा, वही आशा मनमें लेकर उस समय उसने कर्णसे इस प्रकार कहा--'सूतपुत्र! अर्जुन तुम्हारे सामने खड़े होकर कभी युद्ध करना नहीं चाहते हैं!
tām āśāṁ hṛdaye kṛtvā karṇam evaṁ tadābravīt | sūtaputra na te pārthaḥ sthitvāgre saṁyuyutsati ||
Sañjaya said: Keeping that hope firmly in his heart, he then spoke to Karṇa in this manner: “O son of a charioteer, Pārtha (Arjuna) will not stand before you and choose to fight.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how hope and pride can be used as tools of persuasion in conflict: by asserting that the opponent will not face him, the speaker tries to strengthen Karṇa’s resolve. Ethically, it points to the danger of self-deception and manipulative rhetoric in war, where confidence is cultivated not by truth but by strategic speech.
Sañjaya narrates that Duryodhana, holding onto a strong hope of victory through Karṇa, addresses Karṇa and claims that Arjuna will not stand before him to fight. It is a morale-boosting (and provocative) assertion aimed at pushing Karṇa toward decisive engagement.