Shloka 52
युधिष्ठिरस्य धनंजय-प्रति गर्हा
Yudhiṣṭhira’s Reproach to Dhanaṃjaya
पवित्रीकर्तुमात्मानं स्कन्धे संस्पृश्य पाणिना । ग्रहीतुमिच्छन् स बलात् कुन्तीवाक्यं च सो5स्मरत्
pavitrīkartuṃ ātmānaṃ skandhe saṃspṛśya pāṇinā | grahītum icchan sa balāt kuntīvākyaṃ ca so 'smarat ||
Sañjaya said: Touching (Yudhiṣṭhira’s) shoulder with his hand as if to purify himself, Karṇa, intent on seizing him by force, suddenly remembered the promise he had given to Queen Kuntī. In that moment, the impulse to capture his foe collided with the ethical restraint born of his pledged word.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even amid violent conflict, a pledged word (satya and pratijñā) exerts moral force: Karṇa’s remembrance of his promise to Kuntī restrains or complicates his immediate martial impulse, showing how dharma operates through personal commitments.
Karṇa pursues Yudhiṣṭhira and reaches close enough to touch his shoulder, intending to seize him forcibly; at that very moment he recalls the assurance he had given to Kuntī, creating a tension between battlefield advantage and fidelity to his vow.