Shloka 37
उद्योगपर्व — अध्याय १४० (कृष्णेन कर्णं प्रति पाण्डवबल-वैशिष्ट्यप्रदर्शनम्) / Udyoga Parva, Chapter 140
Krishna’s appraisal of Pandava advantage and war portents
कल्माषदण्डा गोविन्द विमला रथपद्धक्तय: । यूपा: समुपकल्पन्तामस्मिन् यज्ञे जनार्दन
kalmāṣadaṇḍā govinda vimalā rathapaddhaktayaḥ | yūpāḥ samupakalpantām asmin yajñe janārdana ||
कर्ण ने कहा—“गोविन्द, जनार्दन! इस यज्ञ के लिए निष्कलंक, सुव्यवस्थित रथ-पंक्तियाँ (रथमार्ग) सजाई जाएँ, और यूप (यज्ञ-स्तम्भ) भी तैयार किए जाएँ।”
कर्ण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how moral agents can frame violent action within the language of sacred duty: by calling war a ‘yajña,’ Karna presents preparation for battle as a solemn, rule-governed undertaking, raising questions about how rhetoric and ritual imagery can be used to claim righteousness and inevitability.
Karna addresses Kṛṣṇa (Govinda/Janārdana) and speaks of making preparations—invoking chariot-tracks and sacrificial posts—while metaphorically treating the impending conflict as a sacrificial rite, signaling readiness for the decisive confrontation.