Shloka 5
कर्ण–कृष्णसंवादः (Karṇa–Kṛṣṇa-saṃvādaḥ) — Karṇa’s Statement on Lineage, Loyalty, and the ‘Śastra-yajña’ Metaphor
ह्ृदयग्रहणीयानि राधेयं मधुसूदन: । यान्यब्रवीदमेयात्मा तानि मे शूणु भारत
hṛdayagrahaṇīyāni rādheyaṃ madhusūdanaḥ | yāny abravīd ameyātmā tāni me śṛṇu bhārata ||
Sañjaya said: “O Bhārata, listen from me to those heart-captivating words—spoken in due sequence by Madhusūdana Kṛṣṇa, whose nature is immeasurable—to Rādheya (Karna). They were keen yet sweet, pleasing, aligned with dharma, truthful, beneficial, and meant to guide conduct at this critical juncture.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Speech that guides others should be both effective and ethical: truthful (satya), beneficial (hita), dharma-aligned, and pleasing without losing sharpness. The verse frames Kṛṣṇa’s counsel as morally grounded persuasion rather than mere rhetoric.
Sañjaya begins reporting to King Dhṛtarāṣṭra the sequence of Kṛṣṇa’s words addressed to Karṇa (Rādheya). It introduces a significant counsel episode in the Udyoga Parva, where attempts are made to influence key figures before the war becomes inevitable.