Shloka 88
भ्राता प्राज्ञस्तव कोपं न जातु कुर्याद् राजा धर्ममवेक्ष्य चापि । मुक्तोडनृताद् भ्रातृवधाच्च पार्थ हृष्ट: कर्ण त्वं जहि सूतपुत्रम्,कुन्तीनन्दन! तुम्हारे भाई राजा युधिष्ठिर समझदार हैं। ये धर्मका खयाल करके भी तुमपर कभी क्रोध नहीं करेंगे। इस प्रकार तुम मिथ्याभाषण और भ्रातृ-वधके पापसे मुक्त हो बड़े हर्षके साथ सूतपुत्र कर्णका वध करना
vāyudeva uvāca |
bhrātā prājñas tava kopaṃ na jātu kuryād rājā dharmam avekṣya cāpi |
mukto ’nṛtād bhrātṛ-vadhāc ca pārtha hṛṣṭaḥ karṇa tvaṃ jahi sūta-putram ||
Vāyu said: “Your brother, the wise king, will never grow angry with you—especially as he keeps dharma in view. Therefore, O Pārtha, freed from the sin of falsehood and from the guilt of slaying a brother, strike down Karṇa, the charioteer’s son, with a joyful heart.”
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even in war, action should be aligned with dharma: one should avoid falsehood and the grave moral burden of killing a brother, and act only when ethically cleared—here, reassured that Yudhiṣṭhira will not condemn him and that he is freed from those specific sins.
Vāyu addresses Arjuna (Pārtha), assuring him that Yudhiṣṭhira will not be angry and that Arjuna is released from the taint of false speech and fratricide; thus he is urged to slay Karṇa, referred to as the sūtaputra.