Shloka 17
कर्णपरर्वणि त्रयोचत्वारिंशदध्यायः (Karṇa-parva Adhyāya 43) — Kṛṣṇa’s Battlefield Assessment and the Reversal Around Bhīma
शतद्रुकामहं तीर्त्वा तां च रम्यामिरावतीम्
śatadrukām ahaṃ tīrtvā tāṃ ca ramyām irāvatīm
Karna said: “Having crossed the Śatadrū river, I also crossed that lovely Irāvatī.” In recalling these crossings, Karna evokes the arduous movement of warriors across sacred and strategic waterways—an image of resolve and relentless advance amid the moral weight of war.
कर्ण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights steadfastness and forward movement in the midst of conflict: a warrior’s determination is shown through enduring difficult crossings, while the mention of rivers also hints at the sacred and consequential terrain over which dharma and adharma contend.
Karna is speaking and recounting his passage across two rivers—Śatadrū and the beautiful Irāvatī—situating his actions within a broader account of travel, campaigning, or strategic movement during the war.