Shloka 11

Devanagari script

इदं त्वद्य क्षमं कर्तुमस्माकं पुरुषर्षभ । यावन्न कृतमूलास्ते पाण्डवेया विशाम्पते,“राजन! इस समय हमारे लिये एक ही उपाय काममें लानेयोग्य है; वे पुरुषश्रेष्ठ पाण्डव जबतक अपनी जड़ नहीं जमा लेते, तभीतक उनपर प्रहार करना चाहिये। इसीसे वे काबूमें आ सकते हैं।' तात! मैं समझता हूँ, तुम्हें भी यह राय पसंद होगी। जबतक हमारा पक्ष बढ़ा-चढ़ा है और जबतक पांचालराजका बल हमसे कम है, तभीतक उनपर आक्रमण कर दिया जाय। इसमें दूसरा कुछ विचार न करो

Transliteration

idaṃ tv adya kṣamaṃ kartum asmākaṃ puruṣarṣabha | yāvan na kṛtamūlāste pāṇḍaveyā viśāmpate ||

Translation

Karna said: “O bull among men, this is the only course that is fitting for us to undertake today. O lord of the people, so long as the sons of Pāṇḍu have not yet taken firm root, we must strike them now. Only thus can they be brought under control.”

Word by Word

इदम्this (course/thing)

तुbut/indeed

अद्यtoday/now

क्षमम्proper/possible/fit

कर्तुम्to do

अस्माकम्of us/for us

पुरुषर्षभO bull among men

यावत्as long as/until

नnot

कृतमूलाःhaving established roots/firmly settled

तेthey/those

पाण्डवेयाःthe sons/descendants of Pandu (Pandavas)

विशाम्पतेO lord of the people

Speaker

कर्ण उवाच

Characters & Entities

Karna

Pāṇḍavas

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights a realpolitik mindset: strike an opponent before they become established and powerful. Ethically, it illustrates the tension between expedient power-politics and dharmic restraint, since urging a pre-emptive attack on vulnerable rivals tends toward adharma.

What is happening in the narrative?

Karna addresses a king (the ‘lord of the people’) and urges immediate action against the Pāṇḍavas, arguing that they have not yet become firmly entrenched and can therefore be subdued if attacked now.