Shloka 31
इन्द्र वाच न ते बीभत्सता कर्ण भविष्यति कथजठ्चन । व्रणश्वैव न गात्रेषु यस्त्वं नानृतमिच्छसि,इन्द्रने कहा--कर्ण! तुम्हारा स्वरूप किसी प्रकार भी बीभत्स नहीं होगा। तुम्हारे अंगोंमें घावतक नहीं होगा; क्योंकि तुम असत्यकी इच्छा नहीं रखते हो
indra uvāca — na te bībhatsatā karṇa bhaviṣyati kathañcana | vraṇaś caiva na gātreṣu yas tvaṃ nānṛtam icchasi ||
Indra said: “Karna, no hideousness will ever come upon you in any way. Nor will there be any wound-marks upon your limbs—because you do not choose falsehood.”
कर्ण उवाच
Educational Q&A
Truthfulness (satya) is presented as a protective ethical force: because Karna does not willfully choose falsehood, Indra declares that no deformity or disfiguring marks will attach to him. The verse links inner moral intention with outward integrity and honor.
In the Indra–Karna exchange, Indra reassures Karna with a boon-like assurance: Karna will not become ugly or scarred on his body. The reassurance is explicitly grounded in Karna’s commitment to truth, highlighting his reputation for keeping his word even in perilous circumstances.