Shloka 22
यथाद्य समरे कर्ण हनिष्यामि हतो5पि वा । महीतले पतिष्यामि सत्येनायुधमालभे
sañjaya uvāca | yathādya samare karṇa haniṣyāmi hato 'pi vā | mahītale patiṣyāmi satyenāyudham ālabhe ||
संजय बोले— अर्जुन ने प्रतिज्ञा की— “आज के संग्राम में मैं कर्ण को मारूँगा; नहीं तो स्वयं मारा जाकर पृथ्वी पर गिरूँगा। सत्य की शपथ लेकर, धनुष को स्पर्श कर, मैं यह व्रत धारण करता हूँ।”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights satya (truth) as a binding moral force: a warrior’s pledge, sealed by invoking truth and touching the weapon, must be upheld even at the cost of one’s life. It frames martial action within ethical accountability—resolve is not mere anger, but a vowed commitment.
Sañjaya reports Arjuna’s solemn declaration on the battlefield: on that very day he will either slay Karṇa or be slain and fall to the earth. The statement is cast as an oath, ritually reinforced by invoking truth and grasping/touching his weapon (bow).