Shloka 46
यस्य ब्राह्मणसात् सर्व वित्तमासीन्महात्मन: । नादेयं ब्राह्मणेष्वासीद् यस्प स्वमपि जीवितम्,जिस महामनस्वी कर्णका सारा धन ब्राह्मणोंके अधीन था, ब्राह्मणोंके लिये जिसका कुछ भी, अपना जीवन भी अदेय नहीं था, जो स्त्रियोंको सदा प्रिय लगता था और प्रतिदिन दान किया करता था, वह महारथी कर्ण पार्थके बाणोंसे दग्ध हो परम गतिको प्राप्त हो गया
yasya brāhmaṇasāt sarvaṁ vittam āsīn mahātmanaḥ | nādeyaṁ brāhmaṇeṣv āsīd yasya svam api jīvitam ||
Śalya said: “All the wealth of that great-souled Karṇa lay at the disposal of the brāhmaṇas. For brāhmaṇas there was nothing he would refuse to give—not even his own life. Such a man, ever dear to women and daily devoted to giving, has now been scorched by Pārtha’s arrows and has attained the highest end.”
शल्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights dāna as a defining virtue: Karṇa’s identity is framed through radical generosity toward brāhmaṇas—so complete that even life itself is described as ‘not ungivable.’ It also underscores the Mahābhārata’s ethical tension: personal virtue does not necessarily prevent tragic outcomes in war.
Śalya, speaking in the aftermath of Karṇa’s fall, recalls Karṇa’s famed liberality and moral stature, then contrasts it with the battlefield reality: Karṇa has been struck down by Pārtha (Arjuna) and has ‘attained the highest end,’ i.e., death with the implied destiny of a warrior.