Shloka 4
वनवासे व्यतीते च कर्ण वर्षे त्रयोदशे । न प्रयच्छसि यद् राज्यं क्व ते धर्मस्तदा गत:,“कर्ण! वनवासका तेरहवाँ वर्ष बीत जानेपर भी जब तुमने पाण्डवोंका राज्य उन्हें वापस नहीं दिया था, उस समय तुम्हारा धर्म कहाँ चला गया था?
vanavāse vyatīte ca karṇa varṣe trayodaśe | na prayacchasi yad rājyaṃ kva te dharmas tadā gataḥ ||
Sañjaya said: “O Karṇa, even after the period of exile had passed and the thirteenth year was completed, when you did not restore the kingdom to the Pāṇḍavas—where, then, had your dharma gone?”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Dharma is tested at the moment one has the power to act justly. The verse frames a moral indictment: refusing to return the Pāṇḍavas’ rightful kingdom after the agreed exile reveals a collapse of righteousness, regardless of later claims of honor or duty in war.
Sañjaya addresses Karṇa with a pointed rhetorical question. He recalls the completion of the Pāṇḍavas’ exile (including the thirteenth year) and challenges Karṇa’s moral standing for supporting the refusal to restore their kingdom, thereby highlighting the ethical roots of the ensuing conflict.