Shloka 30
धर्मरहस्योपदेशः
Dharma-rahasya Instruction: Vows, Truth, and Non-injury
एवमुक्ते तत: कर्ण: शल्यं पुनरभाषत,उनके ऐसा कहनेपर कर्णने शल्यसे फिर कहा--“मद्रराज! मैं युद्धमें अर्जुनको मारूँ या अर्जुन ही मुझे मार डालें। इस उद्देश्यसे युद्धमें मन लगाकर जहाँ भीमसेन हैं, उधर ही चलो”
evam ukte tataḥ karṇaḥ śalyaṃ punar abhāṣata | “madrarāja! ahaṃ yuddhe arjunaṃ mārayāmi vā arjuna eva māṃ mārayiṣyati | etad-uddeśena yuddhe manaḥ samādhāya yatra bhīmasenaḥ, tatrāiva yāhi” ||
Sañjaya dit : Après ces paroles, Karṇa s’adressa de nouveau à Śalya : «Ô roi de Madra ! Ou bien je tuerai Arjuna au combat, ou bien Arjuna me tuera. Avec ce seul dessein, fixe ton esprit sur la bataille et mène le char droit vers l’endroit où se tient Bhīmasena.»
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the warrior ethic of single-pointed resolve: Karṇa accepts the stark binary of victory or death and urges focused action. It also shows how morale, guidance, and intention (manaḥ-samādhāna) are treated as decisive factors amid the ethical gravity of war.
Sañjaya reports that Karṇa, responding to Śalya, reiterates his determination regarding Arjuna—either he will kill Arjuna or be killed by him—and instructs Śalya to drive toward the sector where Bhīmasena is positioned, aligning their chariot’s movement with his immediate tactical aim.