Shloka 48
अर्जुनकर्णसंनिपातवर्णनम् / The Convergence of Arjuna and Karṇa
फाल्गुन! मेरे हृदयमें जिस कर्णकी शठतारूपी वायुसे प्रेरित हो अमर्षकी आग सदा प्रज्वलित रहती है “उस कर्णको आज युद्धमें पाकर मैंने मार डाला” ऐसा कहते हुए क्या तुम आज मेरी उस अताको बुझा दोगे? ।। ब्रवीहि मे दुर्लभमेतदद्य कथं त्वया निहतः सूतपुत्र: । अनुध्याये त्वां सततं प्रवीर वृत्रे हतेडसौ भगवानिवेन्द्र:
bravīhi me durlabham etad adya kathaṁ tvayā nihataḥ sūtaputraḥ | anudhyāye tvāṁ satataṁ pravīra vṛtre hate ’sau bhagavān ivendraḥ ||
Yudhiṣṭhira said: “Tell me—this seems almost impossible today—how was the charioteer’s son (Karna) slain by you? O foremost of heroes, I keep thinking of you constantly, as one thinks of the blessed Indra after he has slain Vṛtra. If, having met Karna in battle today, you can truly say, ‘I have killed him,’ will you at last extinguish the burning fire of my pent-up wrath—ever fanned within my heart by the wind of Karna’s deceit?”
युधिषछ्िर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the moral psychology of war: righteous victory is not merely strategic but also ethical and emotional. Yudhiṣṭhira seeks assurance that a major source of injustice and deceit (as he perceives Karna) has been removed, so that his inner fire of resentment can finally be calmed; it also shows how heroic deeds are framed through dharmic exemplars (Arjuna compared to Indra).
After the climactic battle in which Karna has fallen, Yudhiṣṭhira addresses Arjuna (Phalguna) and asks him to explain how Karna was slain. He expresses that his long-held anger—kept burning by memories of Karna’s perceived treachery—will be extinguished if Arjuna can truly declare that Karna has been killed, praising Arjuna by comparing him to Indra after slaying Vṛtra.