Shloka 81
कर्णनिधनवृत्तान्तनिवेदनम् | Reporting Karṇa’s Fall to Yudhiṣṭhira
यदा मान॑ं लभते माननार्ह- स्तदा स वै जीवति जीवलोके । यदावमानं लभते महान्तं तदा जीवन्मृत इत्युच्यते सः
yadā mānaṁ labhate mānanārhas tadā sa vai jīvati jīvaloke | yadāvamānaṁ labhate mahāntaṁ tadā jīvanmṛta ity ucyate saḥ ||
वायु ने कहा— इस जीवजगत में माननीय पुरुष जब तक सम्मान पाता है, तब तक वह वास्तव में जीवित है। पर जब उसे महान अपमान मिलता है, तब वह जीते-जी मरा हुआ कहा जाता है।
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
A person’s lived dignity is closely tied to honor: rightful respect sustains one’s social and inner life, while profound humiliation is portrayed as a ‘living death.’ The verse highlights the moral and psychological power of public regard and the harm caused by severe dishonor.
Vāyudeva delivers a reflective maxim within the Karṇa Parva context, using a general ethical statement rather than describing a battlefield action: he frames honor and humiliation as measures of a person’s true ‘life’ in society.