Shloka 28
निकृत्या वज्चिता: पार्था विषयोगैश्व भारत | दग्धा जतुगृहे चापि द्यूतेन च पराजिता:,भारत! हमलोगोंने कपट करके कुन्तीकुमारोंको छला, उन्हें मारनेके लिये विषका प्रयोग किया, लाक्षागृहमें जलाया, जूएमें हटाया और राजनीतिका सहारा लेकर उन्हें वनमें भी भेजा। इस प्रकार प्रयत्नपूर्वक किये हुए हमारे उन सभी कार्योंको दैवने नष्ट कर दिया
nikṛtyā vañcitāḥ pārthā viṣayogaiś ca bhārata | dagdhā jātugṛhe cāpi dyūtena ca parājitāḥ ||
Karna said: “O Bhārata, by deceit the sons of Pṛthā were cheated; poison was employed against them; they were even burned in the house of lac; and they were defeated through the dice-game. Yet, despite all these deliberate acts meant to destroy them, destiny overturned our efforts.”
कर्ण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical weight of deliberate wrongdoing (treachery, attempted murder, and manipulation) and contrasts human scheming with the overruling force of daiva (destiny). It implicitly critiques adharma: even carefully planned injustice can recoil, and moral disorder invites ruin.
Karna recounts the Kauravas’ earlier plots against the Pāṇḍavas—poisoning, the lac-house arson attempt, and the dice-game humiliation/defeat—acknowledging these as intentional acts of deception. He frames their failure as destiny thwarting their efforts, setting a reflective tone amid the war context.