Mahabharata — Karna Parva, Shloka 10
धर्मरहस्योपदेशः
Dharma-rahasya Instruction: Vows, Truth, and Non-injury
अन्तमद्य गमिष्यामि तस्य दुःखस्य पार्षत
antam adya gamiṣyāmi tasya duḥkhasya pārṣata | “drupadakumāra! asyā me mahad duḥkham abhavat; ataḥ adya tasya pratikāraṃ kariṣye. adya raṇabhūmau atyanta-ghora-saṅgrāmaṃ kṛtvā vā aham eva karṇaṃ haniṣyāmi, sa vā māṃ vadhiṣyati—iti te satyaṃ bravīmi.”
Sañjaya said: “O son of Pṛṣata, today I shall bring that sorrow to its end. O prince of Drupada, this has caused me deep anguish; therefore today I will exact its requital. On the battlefield, after waging a most dreadful combat, either I will slay Karṇa, or he will kill me—this is the truth I tell you.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the kṣatriya ethic of facing consequences directly in battle and speaking truthfully about one’s resolve, while also showing how grief can harden into a vow of retaliation—an ethically charged moment where personal sorrow and martial duty converge.
A warrior (addressing Dhṛṣṭadyumna, ‘son of Pṛṣata’ and ‘prince of Drupada’) declares that the day will end his sorrow through a decisive duel: either he will kill Karṇa or be killed by him, and he asserts this as a truthful statement of intent.