Shloka 23
घटोत्कच-कर्णयुद्धम्
Ghaṭotkaca–Karna Combat and the Release of Śakti
दैवादिष्टेडन्यथाभावो न मन्ये विद्यते क्वचित् । यतो नो युध्यमानानां परं शकक््त्या सुयोधन
daivādiṣṭe 'nyathābhāvo na manye vidyate kvacit | yato no yudhyamānānāṃ paraṃ śaktyā suyodhana
Karna berkata: “Bila takdir telah menetapkan suatu jalan, aku tidak percaya ada hasil lain di mana pun. Maka, wahai Suyodhana, karena kita telah terjun ke medan perang, kerahkanlah segenap kekuatan dan keteguhanmu.”
कर्ण उवाच
Educational Q&A
Karna frames the situation as governed by destiny (daiva), yet urges decisive human effort: once battle is joined, one should act with full strength and resolve rather than waver over alternative outcomes.
In the midst of the Drona Parva fighting, Karna addresses Duryodhana (Suyodhana), asserting that what fate has ordained cannot be altered, and therefore Duryodhana should commit himself wholeheartedly to the ongoing war effort.