Shloka 5
द्वादशे समत्तिक्रान्ते वर्षे प्राप्ते त्रयोदशे । पाण्डूनां हितकृच्छक्र: कर्ण भिक्षितुमुद्यत:,जब पाण्डवोंके वनवासके बारह वर्ष बीत गये और तेरहवाँ वर्ष आस्मभ हुआ, तब पाण्डवोंके हितकारी इन्द्र कर्णसे कवच-कुण्डल माँगनेको उद्यत हुए
dvādaśe samatikrānte varṣe prāpte trayodaśe | pāṇḍūnāṁ hitakṛc chakraḥ karṇaṁ bhikṣitum udyataḥ ||
Ketika dua belas tahun (masa pengasingan di hutan) para Pāṇḍava telah berlalu sepenuhnya dan tahun ketiga belas tiba, Śakra (Indra)—demi kesejahteraan para Pāṇḍava—bersiap meminta sedekah kepada Karṇa, yakni memohon baju zirah dan anting ilahinya.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse sets up an ethical test where famed generosity becomes vulnerable to manipulation: giving is virtuous, yet discernment about consequences also matters. It also suggests that ‘protection of dharma’ may occur through difficult, morally complex interventions rather than straightforward rewards.
After the Pāṇḍavas complete twelve years of forest exile and enter the thirteenth year, Indra (Śakra), wishing to aid them, prepares to approach Karṇa as a supplicant to ask for his natural divine armor and earrings—items that make Karṇa exceptionally hard to defeat.