Shloka 2
कर्णपरर्वणि त्रयोचत्वारिंशदध्यायः (Karṇa-parva Adhyāya 43) — Kṛṣṇa’s Battlefield Assessment and the Reversal Around Bhīma
संजय उवाच तथा ब्रुवन्तं परुषं कर्णो मद्राधिपं तदा । परुषं द्विगुणं भूय: प्रोवाचाप्रियदर्शनम्,संजय कहते हैं--राजन्! ऐसी कठोर बात बोलते हुए मद्रराज शल्यसे कर्णने पुनः दूनी कठोरता लिये अप्रिय वचन कहना आरम्भ किया
sañjaya uvāca tathā bruvantaṃ paruṣaṃ karṇo madrādhipaṃ tadā | paruṣaṃ dviguṇaṃ bhūyaḥ provācāpriyadarśanam ||
Sanjaya berkata: “Wahai Raja, ketika Śalya, penguasa Madra, mengucapkan kata-kata setajam itu, Karna pun—wajahnya tampak muram oleh amarah—menjawab lagi dengan ucapan yang dua kali lebih keras.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical danger of retaliatory speech: harsh words invite harsher replies, multiplying hostility. It implicitly warns that self-control (especially in speech) is crucial for right judgment and dharmic conduct, particularly in high-stakes situations like war.
Shalya, the king of Madra, has spoken harshly; Karna responds again, but with doubled harshness. Sanjaya reports this to the king, marking the intensifying tension between Karna and his charioteer Shalya during the war narrative.