Shloka 20
न हि साम्ना न दानेन न भेदेन च पाण्डवा: । शकक््या: साधयितुं तस्माद् विक्रमेणैव ताज्जहि,न सामसे, न दानसे और न भेदकी नीतिसे पाण्डवोंको वशमें किया जा सकता है। अतः उन्हें पराक्रमसे ही नष्ट करो
na hi sāmnā na dānena na bhedena ca pāṇḍavāḥ | śakyāḥ sādhayituṃ tasmād vikrameṇaiva tān jahi ||
Karna said: “The Pāṇḍavas cannot be brought under control—neither by conciliation, nor by gifts, nor by sowing dissension. Therefore, destroy them only by valor.” In ethical tone, the verse rejects the classic diplomatic means and urges a decisive, force-based resolution, revealing a hardening commitment to violent policy over reconciliation.
कर्ण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse contrasts the traditional diplomatic strategies—conciliation (sāma), gifts (dāna), and division (bheda)—with a final resort: force (vikrama/daṇḍa). Karna’s counsel asserts that the Pāṇḍavas will not yield to negotiation or manipulation, so he advocates a valor-based, violent solution, highlighting the ethical tension between diplomacy and aggression.
Karna is giving strategic counsel regarding how to deal with the Pāṇḍavas. He dismisses non-violent political methods as ineffective and urges their destruction through martial prowess, reflecting an escalation toward open conflict.