Shloka 22
कर्णवधप्रसङ्गः / The Context of Karṇa’s Fall
Krishna’s Dharmic Recollection and the Decisive Astra
प्रतिश्रुत्याकुर्वतो वै गतिर्या कष्टा याता तामहं राजसिंह । भारत! छ: हजार राजकुमार स्वर्गलोकमें जानेके लिये युद्धके सागरमें मग्न हो गये हैं। राजन! राजसिंह! यदि आज मैं बन्धुओंसहित युद्धमें तत्पर हुए कर्णको हठपूर्वक न मार डालूँ तो प्रतिज्ञा करके उसका पालन न करनेवालेको जो दुःखदायी गति प्राप्त होती है
arjuna uvāca | pratiśrutyākurvato vai gatir yā kaṣṭā yātā tām ahaṃ rājasiṃha | bhārata! ṣaṭ-sahasra rāja-kumāraḥ svarga-lokaṃ gantum yuddha-sāgare magna-bhūtāḥ | rājan! rājasiṃha! yadi adya ahaṃ bandhūbhiḥ saha yuddhe tatparaṃ karṇaṃ haṭha-pūrvakaṃ na mārayeyam, tarhi pratijñāṃ kṛtvā tām apālayan yaḥ duḥkha-dāyīṃ gatiṃ prāpnoti, tām eva aham api prāpnuyām || āmantraye tvāṃ brūhi jayaṃ raṇe me | purā bhīmaṃ dhārtarāṣṭrā grasantaḥ | aham etat pūrvam eva sūta-putraṃ karṇaṃ tasya senāṃ ca samastān śatrūṃś ca nihaniṣyāmi ||
Arjuna said: “O lion among kings, the fate that befalls one who breaks a pledged word is grievous; I would not incur that same ruin. O Bhārata—six thousand royal youths have already sunk into the ocean of war in their quest for heaven. O king, O lion among rulers—if today I do not, with firm resolve, strike down Karṇa who stands ready for battle along with my kinsmen, then I too shall meet the painful end reserved for one who makes a vow and fails to uphold it. Therefore I seek your leave: grant me your blessing for victory in this fight. The sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra are striving to overwhelm Bhīmasena; before that happens, I will first slay Karṇa, his army, and all the enemies.”
अजुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds dharma as fidelity to one’s pledged word: breaking a vow leads to a grievous moral and posthumous consequence. Arjuna frames his intended act—killing Karṇa—not as mere vengeance but as the ethical necessity of fulfilling a solemn commitment amid war.
Arjuna addresses a senior Kuru authority (styled ‘lion among kings’), requests permission and a blessing for victory, and declares urgent intent to kill Karṇa and the enemy forces. He notes that the Kauravas are attempting to overwhelm Bhīma, so he must act swiftly to neutralize Karṇa first.