Shloka 34
द्रोणपर्व (अध्याय १) — भीष्मनिधनानन्तरं धृतराष्ट्रस्य शोकः, सेनायाः स्थितिः, कर्णस्मरणं च
Droṇa Parva, Chapter 1: Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s grief after Bhīṣma’s fall and the army’s reorientation toward Karṇa
राधेयं हितमस्माकं सूतपुत्रं तनुत्यजम् । स हि नायुध्यत तदा दशाहानि महायशा:
rādheyaṁ hitam asmākaṁ sūtaputraṁ tanutyajam | sa hi nāyudhyata tadā daśāhāni mahāyaśāḥ ||
Sañjaya said: “Rādheya—Karna, the charioteer’s son—who was devoted to our cause and ready to lay down his life, did not fight at that time for ten days, though he was a man of great renown.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how reputation and willingness to sacrifice do not automatically translate into participation; in war, personal vows, rivalries, and questions of honor can restrain even a famed warrior, showing the ethical complexity behind battlefield choices.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Karna—described as loyal to the Kauravas and ready to die—did not take up arms for the first ten days of the war, implying a deliberate withdrawal during that phase despite his fame.