वसुदेवसुतो यद्वत् पाण्डवाय दृढव्रत: । वसु चैव शरीरं च पुत्रदारं तथा यश:
vasudevasuto yadvat pāṇḍavāya dṛḍhavrataḥ | vasu caiva śarīraṃ ca putradāraṃ tathā yaśaḥ ||
Karna said: “Just as the son of Vasudeva, firm in his vow, stands devoted to the Pāṇḍava, so too he offers up wealth, even his own body, his sons and wife, and his very fame.”
कर्ण उवाच
Steadfast loyalty to a chosen cause or person is portrayed as so binding that one may be willing to relinquish even wealth, bodily safety, family attachments, and reputation; the verse highlights the ethical weight of vows and the high stakes of honor in the epic’s war context.
Karna, speaking amid the Bhīṣma-parvan war narrative, points to Kṛṣṇa’s unwavering commitment to the Pāṇḍava cause, describing it as a resolve that entails readiness to stake everything—possessions, life, family ties, and fame—on that allegiance.