Shloka 75
कर्णनिधनवृत्तान्तनिवेदनम् | Reporting Karṇa’s Fall to Yudhiṣṭhira
यथा प्रतिज्ञा मम लोकबुद्धौ भवेत् सत्या धर्मभृतां वरिष्ठ । यथा जीवेत् पाण्डवो<हं च कृष्ण तथा बुद्धि दातुमप्यर्हसि त्वम्
yathā pratijñā mama lokabuddhau bhavet satyā dharmabhṛtāṃ variṣṭha | yathā jīvet pāṇḍavo 'haṃ ca kṛṣṇa tathā buddhiṃ dātum apy arhasi tvam ||
Arjuna berkata: “Wahai Kṛṣṇa, yang terbaik di antara para penegak dharma, berilah aku nasihat sedemikian rupa agar, dalam pandangan dunia, sumpahku tetap dianggap benar—dan agar sang Pāṇḍava (Yudhiṣṭhira) dan aku sama-sama dapat tetap hidup. Tunjukkan jalan di mana kesetiaan pada ikrar dan keselamatan nyawa dapat berdiri bersama.”
अर्जुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a dharmic tension: keeping one’s vow in a way that is recognized as truthful by society, while also protecting life. Arjuna seeks Kṛṣṇa’s guidance to reconcile truthfulness, reputation, and the ethical imperative to preserve the righteous.
In the midst of the Karṇa Parva battle context, Arjuna turns to Kṛṣṇa for strategic-ethical counsel. He asks for a plan by which his prior pledge can stand as ‘true’ in public estimation, yet both Yudhiṣṭhira and Arjuna can survive—showing the pressure of vows amid wartime exigencies.