Shloka 3
कृष्णोपदेशः, अर्जुनस्य क्षमा-याचनम्, कर्णवध-अनुज्ञा
Krishna’s Counsel, Arjuna’s Apology, and Authorization for Karṇa’s Slaying
पराजित तु राधेयं दृष्टवा भीमेन संयुगे | ततः परं किमकरोतू पुत्रो दुर्योधनो मम,परंतु उस दिन युद्धस्थलमें राधापुत्र कर्णको भीमसेनके द्वारा पराजित हुआ देखकर मेरे पुत्र दुर्योधनने क्या किया?
parājitaṃ tu rādheyaṃ dṛṣṭvā bhīmena saṃyuge | tataḥ paraṃ kim akarot putro duryodhano mama ||
Bhīma said: “When Duryodhana—my son—saw Radheya (Karna) defeated by Bhīma in the thick of battle, what did he do next? What course did he choose thereafter?”
भीम उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a moral pressure-point of war: how a leader responds when a key champion is publicly defeated. It implicitly probes whether Duryodhana acts with discernment and restraint or is driven by wounded pride and escalation.
Bhima recalls a moment in the battle where Karna (called Radheya) is seen defeated by him. He then asks what Duryodhana did next—setting up the subsequent account of Duryodhana’s reaction and decisions on the battlefield.