Shloka 393
कर्णपरर्वणि त्रयोचत्वारिंशदध्यायः (Karṇa-parva Adhyāya 43) — Kṛṣṇa’s Battlefield Assessment and the Reversal Around Bhīma
तद्वद् भूतिलये स्नात्वा कथं स्वर्ग गमिष्यति । “युगन्धर नगरमें दूध पीकर अच्युतस्थल नामक नगरमें एक रात रहकर तथा भूतिलयमें स्नान करके मनुष्य कैसे स्वर्गमें जायगा?”
tadvat bhūtilaye snātvā kathaṃ svarga gamiṣyati |
Karna preguntó con escepticismo: «¿Cómo podría un hombre alcanzar el cielo con sólo bañarse en Bhūtilaya? ¿Acaso la salvación puede reducirse a un rito sencillo, separado del verdadero mérito, de la conducta y de la responsabilidad ética?»
कर्ण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse voices a critique of mechanical religiosity: Karna implies that heaven is not gained by a single external rite alone, but should be grounded in genuine merit, disciplined conduct, and dharmic living.
In Karna’s speech, he challenges a claim about the efficacy of a particular tīrtha-bath (Bhūtilaya), questioning how such an act by itself could guarantee ascent to svarga.