Shloka 49
(यथैकेन त्वया पूर्व कृतो दिग्विजय: पुरा । मरुत्सूनोर्यथा सूनुर्घातित: शक्रदत्तया ।। तदेतत् सर्वमालम्ब्य जहि पार्थ धनंजयम् ।) 'जैसे पूर्वकालमें तुमने अकेले ही सम्पूर्ण दिशाओंपर विजय पायी थी, इन्द्रकी दी हुई शक्तिसे भीमपुत्र घटोत्कचका वध किया था, उसी तरह इस सारे बल-पराक्रमका आश्रय ले कुन्तीपुत्र अर्जुनको मार डालो'। कर्ण उवाच प्रकृतिस्थो5सि मे शल्य इदानीं सम्मतस्तथा । प्रतिभासि महाबाहो मा भैषीस्त्वं धनंजयात्,कर्णने कहा--शल्य! इस समय तुम अपने स्वरूपमें प्रतिष्ठित हो और मुझसे सहमत जान पड़ते हो। महाबाहो! तुम अर्जुनसे डरो मत
yathaikena tvayā pūrvaṁ kṛto digvijayaḥ purā | marutsūnor yathā sūnur ghātitaḥ śakradattayā || tad etat sarvam ālambya jahi pārtha dhanañjayam || karṇa uvāca—prakṛtistho ’si me śalya idānīṁ sammataḥ tathā | pratibhāsi mahābāho mā bhaiṣīs tvaṁ dhanañjayāt ||
Karna said: “Just as earlier you once achieved conquest of all directions single-handed, and just as the son of Bhima—Ghaṭotkaca—was slain by the divine missile granted by Indra, so now, relying on that same totality of strength and prowess, strike down Pārtha Dhanañjaya (Arjuna).” Then Karna added: “Śalya, now you seem settled in your true disposition and in agreement with me. Mighty-armed one, do not fear Dhanañjaya.”
कर्ण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how warriors in the epic draw moral and psychological strength from precedent: past victories and decisive acts are invoked to remove hesitation. It also shows the ethical tension of war—confidence and duty are emphasized, while the means (divine weapons, remembered killings) are treated as legitimizing support for present action.
Karna urges his charioteer Śalya to support him wholeheartedly and not to intimidate him with Arjuna’s prowess. He recalls earlier feats—conquest of directions and the slaying of Ghaṭotkaca with Indra’s gifted śakti—as a basis to press for the decisive goal: killing Arjuna in the ongoing battle.