Shloka 99
त्वं चेत् कर्णसुतं पार्थ सूतपुत्रस्य पश्यत: । प्रतिज्ञावारणार्थाय निहनिष्यसि सायकै:,“माननीय पुरुषोंको मान देनेवाले पार्थ! यदि तुम सूतपुत्र कर्णके देखते-देखते अपनी प्रतिज्ञाकी पूर्तिके लिये उसके पुत्र वृषसेनको बाणोंद्वारा मार डालो तो अपने प्रिय पुत्रको मारा गया देख वह दुरात्मा कर्ण द्रोणाचार्य, भीष्म और विदुरजीकी कही हुई बातोंको याद करे
sañjaya uvāca | tvaṃ cet karṇasutaṃ pārtha sūtaputrasya paśyataḥ | pratijñā-vāraṇārthāya nihaniṣyasi sāyakaiḥ |
Sañjaya said: “O Pārtha, you who honor the honorable—if, before the very eyes of the charioteer’s son Karṇa, you strike down his son Vṛṣasena with arrows in order to fulfill your vow and remove its obstacle, then that wicked-minded Karṇa, seeing his beloved son slain, will be forced to recall the counsel once spoken by Droṇa, Bhīṣma, and Vidura.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical tension between keeping a vow (pratijñā) and the human cost of fulfilling it in war. It suggests that decisive action taken for dharma-bound commitments can trigger moral reflection in opponents—here, Karṇa’s grief may awaken remembrance of earlier wise counsel.
Sañjaya describes a scenario to Dhṛtarāṣṭra: if Arjuna kills Karṇa’s son Vṛṣasena in Karṇa’s presence to clear the way for his own vowed objective, Karṇa—struck by the sight of his son’s death—will recall the admonitions previously given by Droṇa, Bhīṣma, and Vidura.