Shloka 12
तत्र मे बुद्धिरुत्पन्ना वाहयात्र महारथम् | नाहत्वा समरे कर्ण निवर्तिष्ये कथठ्चन,जनार्दन! यहाँ मेरा ऐसा विचार हो रहा है कि आप मेरे इस विशाल रथको वहीं हाँक ले चलें (जहाँ कर्ण खड़ा है)। मैं समरांगणमें कर्णका वध किये बिना किसी प्रकार पीछे नहीं लौटूँगा। अन्यथा राधापुत्र हमारे देखते-देखते पाण्डव तथा सूंजय महारथियोंको समरभूमिमें निःशेष कर देगा--किसीको जीवित नहीं छोड़ेगा
tatra me buddhir utpannā vāhayātra mahāratham | nāhatvā samare karṇa nivartiṣye kathaṃcana, janārdana |
Arjuna said: “In this moment a resolve has arisen in me: drive this great chariot there, to where Karṇa stands. O Janārdana, I will not turn back from the battlefield in any way without slaying Karṇa. Otherwise the son of Rādhā, before our very eyes, will utterly destroy the Pāṇḍavas and the mighty warriors of Sūñjaya’s line on the field of war—leaving none alive.”
अजुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds kṣatriya-duty expressed as unwavering resolve: Arjuna frames the slaying of Karṇa as a necessary act to prevent catastrophic loss of life among his side. Ethically, it presents a wartime calculus—decisive action against a principal threat to protect one’s community—while also showing reliance on Kṛṣṇa as charioteer and guide.
In the Karṇa Parva battle sequence, Arjuna addresses Kṛṣṇa (Janārdana) and commands him to drive the chariot directly toward Karṇa. Arjuna declares he will not retreat until Karṇa is slain, fearing that otherwise Karṇa will annihilate the Pāṇḍavas and allied great warriors on the battlefield.