Shloka 28
फिर बुद्धिमान् भगवान् माधवने धर्मनन्दन युधिष्ठिरसे इस प्रकार कहा--“महाराज! आप अर्जुनको सान्त्वना और दुरात्मा कर्णके वधके लिये आज्ञा प्रदान करें ।। श्रुत्वा ह्रहमयं चैव त्वां कर्णशरपीडितम् । प्रवृत्ति ज्ञातुमायाताविहावां पाण्डुनन्दन,'पाण्डुनन्दन! राजन! आप कर्णके बाणोंसे बहुत पीड़ित हो गये हैं--यह सुनकर मैं और ये अर्जुन दोनों आपका समाचार जाननेके लिये यहाँ आये थे
sañjaya uvāca—tataḥ buddhimān bhagavān mādhavaḥ dharmanandanaṃ yudhiṣṭhiram evaṃ uvāca—“mahārāja! bhavān arjunam sāntvayatu, ca durātmanaḥ karṇasya vadhe ’dya ājñāṃ pradātu. śrutvā hṛdayamayaṃ caiva tvāṃ karṇa-śara-pīḍitam, pravṛttiṃ jñātum āyātau iha āvām pāṇḍunandana.”
Sañjaya said: Then the wise and revered Mādhava spoke to Yudhiṣṭhira, son of Dharma, in this manner: “O King, console Arjuna and today give him the command to slay the wicked Karṇa. Hearing that you were grievously stricken at heart and tormented by Karṇa’s arrows, we—Arjuna and I—have come here to learn what has happened, O son of Pāṇḍu.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler must uphold dharma by giving clear, timely direction in crisis: Yudhiṣṭhira is urged to steady Arjuna’s resolve and authorize decisive action against an adharma-aligned opponent, balancing compassion (consolation) with justice (command to end the threat).
After hearing that Yudhiṣṭhira has been badly hurt by Karṇa’s arrows and is distressed, Kṛṣṇa (Mādhava) and Arjuna arrive to learn the situation; Kṛṣṇa addresses Yudhiṣṭhira, urging him to console Arjuna and to order Karṇa’s slaying that very day.