Shloka 543
Aśvatthāman’s Arrow-Screen and the Confrontation with Yudhiṣṭhira (द्रौणि–युधिष्ठिर-संग्रामः)
शिरस्ते पातयिष्यामि गदया वज़्कल्पया । मद्रराज! यदि फिर ऐसी बात बोलोगे तो मैं अपनी वज्न-सरीखी गदासे तुम्हारा मस्तक चूर-चूर करके गिरा दूँगा
śiras te pātayiṣyāmi gadayā vajrakalpayā | madrarāja! yadi punaḥ etādṛśīṃ vācaṃ vadiṣyasi tadā ahaṃ vajrasadṛśyā gadayā tava mastakaṃ cūrṇayitvā pātayiṣyāmi ||
Karna, enflammé de colère, menaça le roi de Madra : «Je te ferai tomber la tête sous ma massue, dure comme la foudre. Ô roi de Madra ! Si tu prononces encore de telles paroles, j’écraserai ton crâne avec ma massue pareille au vajra et je te jetterai à terre.»
कर्ण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how uncontrolled anger and harsh speech escalate conflict: words can provoke violence, and in the battlefield ethos, verbal provocation is treated as an actionable offense. It implicitly warns that restraint in speech (vāg-niyama) is ethically significant, especially when power and weapons are near at hand.
Karna addresses the king of Madra (Śalya), who is associated with Karna’s charioteer role and is known for taunting him. Karna, enraged by the taunt, threatens to smash Śalya’s head with his thunderbolt-like mace if he speaks such words again.