Shloka 9
Udyoga-parva Adhyāya 137 — Bhīṣma–Droṇa Counsel and the Ethics of Restraint
कर्णप्रभृतयश्चेमे त्वं चापि कवची रथी । मोक्षितो घोषयात्रायां पर्याप्तं तन्निदर्शनम्
karṇaprabhṛtayaś ceme tvaṃ cāpi kavacī rathī | mokṣito ghoṣayātrāyāṃ paryāptaṃ tan nidarśanam ||
Vaiśampāyana dijo: «Karna y los demás aquí—y tú también, guerrero de carro, armado con coraza—fuisteis una vez puestos en libertad durante la expedición de la incursión de ganado. Eso por sí solo es prueba suficiente».
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse appeals to precedent as moral and practical evidence: the fact that even renowned warriors like Karna (and the addressed chariot-warrior) were once released in the ghoṣayātrā episode is presented as sufficient proof for the argument being advanced—implying that past conduct and outcomes can establish what is reasonable, just, or strategically sound now.
Vaiśampāyana, narrating events, points to an earlier incident during the ghoṣayātrā (a cattle-related expedition/raid) where Karna and others, including the person addressed as an armored chariot-warrior, were set free. He states that this prior release itself serves as adequate demonstration of the claim under discussion.