Shloka 48

अर्जुनकर्णसंनिपातवर्णनम् / The Convergence of Arjuna and Karṇa

Devanagari script

फाल्गुन! मेरे हृदयमें जिस कर्णकी शठतारूपी वायुसे प्रेरित हो अमर्षकी आग सदा प्रज्वलित रहती है “उस कर्णको आज युद्धमें पाकर मैंने मार डाला” ऐसा कहते हुए क्या तुम आज मेरी उस अताको बुझा दोगे? ।।

Transliteration

bravīhi me durlabham etad adya kathaṁ tvayā nihataḥ sūtaputraḥ | anudhyāye tvāṁ satataṁ pravīra vṛtre hate ’sau bhagavān ivendraḥ ||

Translation

युधिष्ठिर बोले—मुझे बताओ; आज यह बात दुर्लभ-सी प्रतीत होती है—सूतपुत्र कर्ण तुम्हारे द्वारा कैसे मारा गया? हे प्रवीर, मैं तुम्हें निरन्तर वैसे ही स्मरण करता हूँ जैसे वृत्र-वध के बाद भगवान् इन्द्र को। यदि आज समर में कर्ण को पाकर तुम सचमुच कह सको—‘मैंने उसे मार डाला’—तो क्या कर्ण की शठता की वायु से भड़की मेरे हृदयस्थ क्रोधाग्नि को तुम आज बुझा दोगे?

Word by Word

• [{'term': 'bravīhi', 'definition': 'tell (me)

• speak'}, {'term': 'me', 'definition': 'to me

• my'}, {'term': 'durlabham', 'definition': 'hard to obtain

• scarcely possible'}, {'term': 'etat', 'definition': 'this'}, {'term': 'adya', 'definition': 'today

• now'}, {'term': 'katham', 'definition': 'how?'}, {'term': 'tvayā', 'definition': 'by you'}, {'term': 'nihataḥ', 'definition': 'slain

• killed'}, {'term': 'sūtaputraḥ', 'definition': 'son of a sūta (charioteer)

• epithet of Karna'}, {'term': 'anudhyāye', 'definition': 'I reflect upon

• I contemplate'}, {'term': 'tvām', 'definition': 'you'}, {'term': 'satatam', 'definition': 'constantly

• always'}, {'term': 'pravīra', 'definition': 'O great hero

• foremost among warriors'}, {'term': 'vṛtre', 'definition': 'Vṛtra (the serpent/demon)'}, {'term': 'hate', 'definition': 'when slain

• upon being killed'}, {'term': 'asau', 'definition': 'that (famed one)'}, {'term': 'bhagavān', 'definition': 'the blessed/lordly one

• venerable'}, {'term': 'iva', 'definition': 'like

• as'}, {'term': 'indraḥ', 'definition': 'Indra (king of the gods)'}]

Speaker

युधिषछ्िर उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Yudhiṣṭhira
• Phalguna (Arjuna)
• Karna
• Indra
• Vṛtra

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the moral psychology of war: righteous victory is not merely strategic but also ethical and emotional. Yudhiṣṭhira seeks assurance that a major source of injustice and deceit (as he perceives Karna) has been removed, so that his inner fire of resentment can finally be calmed; it also shows how heroic deeds are framed through dharmic exemplars (Arjuna compared to Indra).

What is happening in the narrative?

After the climactic battle in which Karna has fallen, Yudhiṣṭhira addresses Arjuna (Phalguna) and asks him to explain how Karna was slain. He expresses that his long-held anger—kept burning by memories of Karna’s perceived treachery—will be extinguished if Arjuna can truly declare that Karna has been killed, praising Arjuna by comparing him to Indra after slaying Vṛtra.