Shloka 29
घटोत्कच-कर्णयुद्धम्
Ghaṭotkaca–Karna Combat and the Release of Śakti
राजनीति व्यपश्रित्य प्रहिताश्वैव काननम् । यत्नेन च कृतं॑ तत्तद् दैवेन विनिपातितम्,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
nītiṃ vyapāśritya prahitāś caiva kānanam | yatnena ca kṛtaṃ tat-tad daivena vinipātitam, bhārata |
Karna said: “Relying on political stratagems, we even had the sons of Kuntī driven into the forest. Yet every such deed—carefully planned and carried out with effort—has been brought to ruin by fate, O descendant of Bharata. We deceived the Kuntī-born princes through deceit, used poison to kill them, tried to burn them in the house of lac, and defeated them in the gambling match; but destiny overturned all of it.”
कर्ण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse contrasts calculated human effort (yatna) and political stratagem (nīti) with the overruling power of destiny (daiva). It frames unethical actions—deceit, attempted murder, and manipulation—as ultimately unstable and liable to collapse, suggesting that adharma-driven schemes do not secure lasting success.
Karna reflects on the Kaurava side’s earlier plots against the Pāṇḍavas—poisoning, the lac-house arson attempt, the dice-game dispossession, and sending them to the forest—acknowledging that despite careful planning, these efforts were thwarted. This functions as a grim recognition, amid the Drona Parva war setting, that their past hostility has led to the present catastrophe.