Shloka 49
अब्रवीच्च तदा कर्णों गुरुं शारद्वतं कृपम् संजय कहते हैं--भरतश्रेष्ठ) उनके ऐसा कहनेपर राधापुत्र कर्ण ठठाकर हँस पड़ा और शरद्वानके पुत्र गुरु कृपाचार्यसे उस समय यों बोला-- || ४८ ई ।। सत्यमुक्त त्वया ब्रह्मन् पाण्डवान् प्रति यद् वच:
abravīc ca tadā karṇo guruṁ śāradvataṁ kṛpam | satyam uktaṁ tvayā brahman pāṇḍavān prati yad vacaḥ ||
Sañjaya said: Then Karṇa addressed his teacher, Kṛpa Śāradvata, saying, “O Brahmin, what you have spoken concerning the Pāṇḍavas is indeed true.” In the midst of war-counsel, Karṇa’s reply frames the Pāṇḍavas as worthy of sober appraisal, while also setting the stage for his own stance—acknowledging truth yet remaining bound to his chosen allegiance and the hard ethics of battlefield duty.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even amid conflict, one should acknowledge truth when it is spoken. The verse highlights ethical clarity—recognizing the worth of opponents—while implying the tension between truth-recognition and steadfast loyalty in war.
Sañjaya reports that Karṇa addresses his teacher Kṛpācārya and agrees with Kṛpa’s statement about the Pāṇḍavas, affirming that Kṛpa’s assessment is true.