Shloka 12
उद्योगपर्व — अध्याय १४० (कृष्णेन कर्णं प्रति पाण्डवबल-वैशिष्ट्यप्रदर्शनम्) / Udyoga Parva, Chapter 140
Krishna’s appraisal of Pandava advantage and war portents
श्रीकृष्ण! मेरी युवावस्था होनेपर अधिरथने सूत-जातिकी कई कन्याओंके साथ मेरा विवाह करवाया। अब उनसे मेरे पुत्र और पौत्र भी पैदा हो चुके हैं। जनार्दन! उन स्त्रियोंमें मेरा हृदय कामभावसे आसक्त रहा है ।।
śrīkṛṣṇa! meṛī yuvāvasthā honepara adhirathane sūta-jātikī kaī kanyāoṃ ke sātha merā vivāha karavāyā. aba unase mere putra aura pautra bhī paidā ho chuke haiṃ. janārdana! una striyoṃ meṃ merā hṛdaya kāmabhāvase āsakta rahā hai. na pṛthivyā sakalayā na suvarṇasya rāśibhiḥ | harṣād bhayād vā govinda mithyā kartuṃ tad utsahe || govinda! aba maiṃ sampūrṇa pṛthivīkā rājya pākar, suvarṇakī rāśiyāṃ lekar athavā harṣa yā bhayake kāraṇa bhī vaha saba sambandha mithyā nahīṃ karanā cāhatā.
Karna dijo: «Oh Śrī Kṛṣṇa, cuando aún era joven, Adhiratha dispuso mi matrimonio con varias doncellas de la comunidad de los sūtas. De ellas tengo ahora hijos e incluso nietos. Oh Janārdana, mi corazón ha permanecido ligado a esas mujeres por la fuerza del deseo y del apego. Oh Govinda, ni por la soberanía de toda la tierra, ni por montones de oro, ni por alegría o por temor, soy capaz—ni estoy dispuesto—de volver falsos esos vínculos. Aun ahora, no deseo repudiar ni invalidar esas relaciones.»
कर्ण उवाच
Educational Q&A
Karna asserts that certain personal bonds—marriage, family responsibility, and lived commitments—cannot be traded away for power, wealth, or emotional pressure. The verse highlights an ethical stance: integrity toward one’s established relationships, even when confronted with tempting political rewards or coercive fear.
In Udyoga Parva’s pre-war negotiations, Karna speaks to Kṛṣṇa. He recalls that his foster-father Adhiratha married him within the sūta community and that he now has descendants. Karna declares he will not ‘make false’ those ties—i.e., he will not repudiate or deny his familial and social commitments—regardless of offers of universal kingship or vast wealth, or pressures of joy and fear.