Shloka 24
Rukmī’s Offer of Aid and Arjuna’s Refusal (रुक्मिप्रस्तावः—अर्जुनप्रत्याख्यानम्)
कर्णो वा युध्यतां पूर्वमहं वा पृथिवीपते । स्पर्थते हि सदात्यर्थ सूतपुत्रो मया रणे,पृथ्वीपते! या तो पहले कर्ण ही युद्ध कर ले या मैं ही युद्ध करूँ; क्योंकि यह सूतपुत्र सदा युद्धमें मुझसे अत्यन्त स्पर्धा रखता है
karṇo vā yudhyatāṃ pūrvam ahaṃ vā pṛthivīpate | spardhate hi sadātyarthaṃ sūtaputro mayā raṇe pṛthivīpate ||
Bhīṣma said: “O lord of the earth, let Karṇa fight first—or else let me fight first. For this son of a charioteer is always, to an extreme degree, in rivalry with me on the battlefield, O king.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how personal rivalry and wounded honor can shape strategic decisions in war; it implicitly warns that leadership must manage ego-driven competition among allies to preserve unity and dharma.
Bhīṣma addresses the king, stating that either Karṇa should engage first or Bhīṣma should, because Karṇa persistently seeks to outdo Bhīṣma in battle—revealing tension within the Kaurava camp.