Shloka 23

Devanagari script

एवंगतो5पि शक्‍्यो<यं हन्तुं नान्‍येन केनचित्‌ । ऋते त्वां पुरुषव्याप्र शपे सत्येन चानघ,पुरुषसिंह! आज ऐसी अवस्थामें आकर भी कर्ण तुम्हारे सिवा किसी दूसरे योद्धासे नहीं मारा जा सकता। अनघ! मैं सत्यकी शपथ खाकर यह बात कहता हूँ

Transliteration

evaṃ gato 'pi śakyo 'yaṃ hantuṃ nānyena kenacit | ṛte tvāṃ puruṣavyāghra śape satyena cānagha ||

Translation

Wahai singa di antara manusia! Sekalipun dalam keadaan yang telah merosot begini, Karṇa tak dapat dibunuh oleh siapa pun selain engkau. Wahai yang tanpa noda! Demi kebenaran aku bersumpah: Karṇa tidak akan gugur oleh tangan pejuang lain.

Word by Word

• {'evaṃ': 'thus

• in this manner', 'gataḥ api': 'even having come to (such a state)

• even so', 'śakyaḥ': 'possible

• capable (of being done)', 'ayam': 'this (person)', 'hantum': 'to kill

• to slay', 'na anyena kenacit': 'by no other (person) whatsoever', 'ṛte': 'except

• without', 'tvām': 'you (accusative)', 'puruṣavyāghra': 'tiger among men

• best of men (epithet of a hero)', 'śape': 'I swear

• I take an oath', 'satyena': 'by truth

• with truth as witness', 'ca': 'and', 'anagha': 'sinless

Speaker

श्रीवायुदेव उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vāyudeva
• Karṇa
• the addressed hero (puruṣavyāghra/anagha; implied Arjuna in context)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse emphasizes the moral force of satya (truth) as an oath-bearing principle: a decisive act in war is presented not as random violence but as something bound to truth, destiny, and the unique responsibility of a particular hero.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vāyudeva declares that Karṇa, even when weakened or brought to a certain condition, cannot be slain by any warrior other than the one being addressed; he seals this claim with an oath by truth, heightening the inevitability and ethical gravity of the impending confrontation.