Shloka 54
युधिष्ठिरस्य धनंजय-प्रति गर्हा
Yudhiṣṭhira’s Reproach to Dhanaṃjaya
उस समय राजा शल्यने कहा--'कर्ण! इन नृपश्रेष्ठ युधिष्ठिरको हाथ न लगाना, अन्यथा वे पकड़ते ही तुम्हारा वध करके अपनी क्रोधाग्निसे तुम्हें भस्म कर डालेंगे” ।।
sañjaya uvāca | atha śalyarājo 'bravīt— “karṇa! etān nṛpaśreṣṭhaṃ yudhiṣṭhiraṃ mā spṛśa; anyathā sa gṛhītvā tvāṃ krodhāgninā bhasmasāt kariṣyati” iti || atha karṇo mahārāja prahasan kutaścid iva pāṇḍavaṃ kutsayan abravīt— “yudhiṣṭhira! yaḥ kṣatriyakule jātaḥ kṣatradharme vyavasthitaś ca, sa mahāsamare prāṇarakṣārthaṃ bhīto yuddhaṃ tyaktvā kathaṃ palāyeta? mama tu niścayo 'yaṃ— tvaṃ kṣatradharme na nipuṇaḥ” iti ||
Sanjaya said: Then King Shalya warned, “Karna, do not lay a hand on that best of kings, Yudhishthira; if you do, the moment he seizes you he will slay you and reduce you to ashes with the fire of his wrath.” But Karna, laughing loudly and speaking as though to disparage the Pandava, replied, “Yudhishthira! How can one born in a Kshatriya line and established in the Kshatriya code, in the midst of a great battle, abandon the fight and flee out of fear for his life? My conviction is this: you are not skilled in the Kshatriya dharma.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage foregrounds kṣatra-dharma as an ethical ideal in war: a Kshatriya is expected to stand firm in battle rather than flee from fear. At the same time, it shows how appeals to “dharma” can be weaponized—Karna uses the language of duty to shame and destabilize Yudhishthira, turning moral discourse into psychological warfare.
Shalya cautions Karna not to engage Yudhishthira directly, warning that Yudhishthira’s wrath and strength could lead to Karna’s death if he is seized. Karna responds with loud, derisive laughter and taunts Yudhishthira, questioning how a Kshatriya could abandon battle out of fear and implying that Yudhishthira lacks true proficiency in the warrior code.