Shloka 51
कृष्णौ च पुरुषव्यात्र ततः सत्यं ब्रवीमि ते । नाहत्वा युधि तौ वीरौ व्यपयास्थे कथंचन,पुरुषसिंह! मैं तुमसे सच्ची बात कहता हूँ कि युद्धस्थलमें उन दोनों वीर श्रीकृष्ण और अर्जुनका वध किये बिना मैं किसी तरह पीछे नहीं हटूँगा
kṛṣṇau ca puruṣavyātra tataḥ satyaṃ bravīmi te | nāhatvā yudhi tau vīrau vyapayāsthe kathaṃcana ||
Karna said: “O tiger among men, I now speak to you the truth. Unless I slay those two heroes—Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna—on the battlefield, I will not withdraw in any way.”
कर्ण उवाच
Educational Q&A
Karna presents steadfastness in one’s declared truth (satya) and commitment to warrior-duty as binding: once he has set his aim in battle, he treats retreat as ethically unacceptable until that aim is met.
In the Karṇa Parva’s battle sequence, Karna addresses a warrior as “tiger among men” and declares a firm resolve: he will not turn back from the fight unless he kills the two central opponents named here—Kṛṣṇa (as Arjuna’s charioteer and strategist) and Arjuna (his chief rival).