Shloka 723
यथा भवद्धिर्भुशविक्षितावु भौ सुखेन हन्यामहमद्य भूमिपा: । राजन! शत्रुहन्ता कर्ण शल्यसे ऐसा कहकर रणभूमिमें मेघके समान उच्चस्वरसे गर्जना करने लगा। उस समय आपके पुत्र दुर्योधनने निकट आकर उसका अभिनन्दन किया। उससे मिलकर कर्णने कुरुकुलके उस प्रमुख वीरसे, महाबाहु कृपाचार्य और कृतवमसि, भाइयोंसहित गान्धारराज शकुनिसे, गुरुपुत्र अश्वत्थामासे, अपने छोटे भाईसे तथा पैदल और गजारोही सैनिकोंसे इस प्रकार कहा--“वीरो! श्रीकृष्ण और अर्जुनपर धावा करो, उन्हें आगे बढ़नेसे रोको तथा शीघ्र ही सब प्रकारसे प्रयत्न करके उन्हें परिश्रमसे थका दो। भूमिपालो! ऐसा करो, जिससे तुम्हारेद्वारा अत्यन्त क्षत-विक्षत हुए उन दोनों कृष्णोंको आज मैं सुखपूर्वक मार सकूँ”
yathā bhavadbhir bhṛśa-vikṣitāv ubhau sukhena hanyām aham adya bhūmipāḥ |
Karna said: “So that, when you have grievously wounded and mangled those two, I may today slay them with ease, O kings.” Having spoken thus, Karna roared on the battlefield like a thundercloud. Then Duryodhana approached and greeted him. After meeting him, Karna addressed the foremost warriors of the Kuru host—Kṛpācārya, Kṛtavarmā, Śakuni the king of Gandhāra (with his brothers), Aśvatthāmā the son of the preceptor, his own younger brother, and the foot-soldiers and elephant-riders—saying: “Heroes, charge at Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna; prevent their advance; and quickly, by every effort, wear them down with exertion. Do so, O rulers, that once you have severely battered those two Kṛṣṇas, I may kill them today without difficulty.” Ethically, the passage highlights Karna’s reliance on coordinated force and attrition against a pair of opponents, framing victory as a product of collective strategy rather than single combat alone, while intensifying the moral tension of targeting Kṛṣṇa (the charioteer) alongside Arjuna in the chaos of war.
कर्ण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage underscores how warfare often shifts from ideals of isolated heroism to coordinated strategy: Karna seeks advantage by having allies exhaust and injure opponents first. It also sharpens the ethical strain of the epic—victory pursued through attrition and massed assault, even when the targets include Kṛṣṇa alongside Arjuna.
Karna proclaims that if the Kaurava leaders and troops first grievously wound Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna and block their advance, he will then kill them easily. He roars like a storm-cloud; Duryodhana comes to honor him; and Karna issues tactical instructions to senior commanders (Kṛpa, Kṛtavarmā, Śakuni, Aśvatthāmā, and others) and to the infantry and elephant units.