Shloka 20
Draupadī’s Identification of the Pāṇḍavas and the Onset of the Chariot Engagement (द्रौपदी-पाण्डव-परिचयः)
भारत! तुम्हारे सामने भीष्मने जो कुछ कहा है, उसे मैं सहन नहीं कर सकता। शत्रुदमन! भरतकुलनन्दन! उन्होंने जो पाण्डवोंका यश गाया और तुम्हारी निन््दा की है, यह मेरे लिये असह्य है। अतः तुम मुझे सेवक, सेना तथा सवारियोंके साथ दिग्विजय करनेकी आज्ञा दो ॥। जेष्यामि पृथिवीं राजन् सशैलवनकाननाम् | जिता च पाण्डवैभभूमिश्षतुर्भिबलेशालिभि:
bhārata! tava purato bhīṣmeṇa yad uktam, tat soḍhuṃ na śaknomi. śatrudamana! bharatakulanandana! tena pāṇḍavānāṃ yaśaḥ gītaṃ tava ca nindā kṛtā—etad mama asahyam. ataḥ māṃ sevakaiḥ senayā ca sāvāhanaiḥ saha digvijayāya ājñāpaya. jeṣyāmi pṛthivīṃ rājan saśailavanakānanām; jitā ca pāṇḍavaiḥ bhūmiḥ śatrubhiḥ balaiḥ śālībhiḥ.
Wahai Bhārata! Apa pun yang diucapkan Bhīṣma di hadapanmu, tak sanggup kutahan. Wahai penakluk musuh, kebanggaan wangsa Bharata! Bahwa ia menyanyikan kemasyhuran para Pāṇḍava dan mencelamu—itu tak tertanggungkan bagiku. Maka perintahkan aku, bersama para pengiring, bala tentara, dan pasukan berkendaraan, untuk berangkat menaklukkan segala penjuru. Wahai Raja! Akan kutundukkan bumi ini beserta gunung, rimba, dan belukar; dan akan kurebut kembali tanah yang telah direbut para Pāṇḍava—musuh-musuh yang kuat dan makmur itu.
कर्ण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how wounded honor and loyalty can drive political and military decisions. Karna frames action (digvijaya) as a response to perceived insult and as a means to restore his king’s prestige, showing the ethical tension between righteous restraint and pride-fueled escalation.
After Bhishma’s words—praising the Pandavas and criticizing the Kuru king—Karna declares he cannot tolerate the insult. He urges the king to authorize him to go with forces on a digvijaya, promising to conquer the world and reclaim territory held by the Pandavas.