Mahabharata — Karna Parva, Shloka 38
नाहत्वा विनिवर्तिष्ये कर्णममद्य रणाजिरात् । इति सत्येन ते पादौ स्पृशामि जगतीपते
nāhatvā vinivartiṣye karṇam adya raṇājirāt | iti satyena te pādau spṛśāmi jagatīpate ||
Dijo Arjuna: «Hoy no me retiraré del campo de batalla sin haber dado muerte a Karṇa. Con este voto de verdad, oh señor de la tierra, toco tus pies».
अजुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the kṣatriya ideal of steadfast resolve bound to satya (truth): Arjuna frames his martial duty as a solemn vow, treating truthfulness as a moral force that authorizes and stabilizes action in war.
On the day of the climactic confrontation, Arjuna declares that he will not withdraw from the battlefield until Karṇa is slain. He seals this determination with a truth-pledge and a gesture of reverence—touching the feet of the addressed ‘lord of the earth’—to affirm the seriousness of his commitment.