Shloka 24
कर्णपर्व — पञ्चदशोऽध्यायः | Karṇa Parva, Chapter 15: Pāṇḍya’s Advance and Aśvatthāmā’s Counterstroke
संशप्तकाश्न मे वध्या द्रौणिराह्मययते च माम्
sa jaya uv01ca |
sa aptak01b ca me vadhy01 dro i ir 01hvayate ca m01m |
"m01dhava! eka-ora tu me sa aptak01n01 vadha kartavya , dvit2by01m6 ca dro aputra a5bvatth01m01 yuddh01ya m01m 01hvayati |
ata atra me yat p6brva kartavya pr01pnoti, tad me br6bhi |
yadi tva samyak manyase, p6brvam utth01ya a5bvatth01mna eva 01tithya graha 2btu avasaro d2byat01m" ||
Sañjaya berkata: Arjuna bersabda, “Madhava, di satu sisi aku harus menumpas para Saṃsaptaka; di sisi lain putra Droṇa, Aśvatthāmā, menantangku bertempur. Maka katakanlah, kewajiban manakah yang harus kuambil lebih dahulu di sini? Jika engkau menilainya tepat, biarlah aku bangkit dan terlebih dahulu menerima ‘keramahtamahan’ Aśvatthāmā—yakni menyambut tantangannya sebelum yang lain.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
When multiple obligations collide, one should seek wise counsel and prioritize the action that best aligns with dharma and immediate necessity, rather than acting from impulse or pride.
Arjuna faces two simultaneous pressures: the Sa aptakas must be dealt with, while Ashvatthama directly challenges him. He asks Krishna to decide which duty should be undertaken first, using the ironic phrase accept his hospitality to mean engage him in combat.