Shloka 1
कर्णवधप्रसङ्गः / The Context of Karṇa’s Fall
Krishna’s Dharmic Recollection and the Decisive Astra
अपन का छा | अप्-#-र- जा सप्तषष्टितमो< ध्याय: अर्जुनका युधिष्ठिरसे अबतक कर्णको न मार सकनेका कारण बताते हुए उसे मारनेके लिये प्रतिज्ञा करना संजय उवाच तद् धर्मशीलस्य वचो निशम्य राज्ञ: क्रुद्धस्यातिरथो महात्मा । उवाच दुर्धर्षमदीनसत्त्व॑ युधिष्ठिरं जिष्णुरनन्तवीर्य:
sañjaya uvāca |
tad dharmaśīlasya vaco niśamya rājñaḥ kruddhasyātiratho mahātmā |
uvāca durdharṣam adīnasattvaṁ yudhiṣṭhiraṁ jiṣṇur anantavīryaḥ ||
Sañjaya said: O King, having heard the words of the righteous monarch, spoken in anger, the great-souled Arjuna—an unsurpassed chariot-warrior, invincible and of undaunted spirit, possessed of endless prowess—addressed Yudhiṣṭhira in reply.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even a dharma-minded ruler may speak in anger under the strain of war; the verse frames the ethical tension between righteous intent and emotional turbulence, and prepares for a measured, valorous response grounded in duty and resolve.
Sañjaya reports that after Yudhiṣṭhira—angered—speaks, Arjuna, described with epithets of invincibility and unwavering courage, begins to address Yudhiṣṭhira, setting up Arjuna’s explanation and pledge regarding the battle situation.