Shloka 20
द्रोणनिन्दाश्रवणं तथा सात्यकि–पार्षतविवादः
Hearing the reproach of Droṇa and the Sātyaki–Pārṣata dispute
वध प्राप्तं तु माद्रेयं नावधीत् समरेडरिहा । कुन्त्या: स्मृत्वा वचो राजन् सत्यसंधो महायशा:,यद्यपि सहदेव उस समय वध करने योग्य अवस्थामें पहुँच गये थे, तो भी कुन्तीको दिये हुए वचनको याद करके समरांगणमें शत्रुसूदन सत्यप्रतिज्ञ एवं महायशस्वी कर्णने उनका वध नहीं किया
vadha-prāptaṃ tu mādreyaṃ nāvadhīt samare 'rihā | kuntyāḥ smṛtvā vaco rājan satya-saṃdho mahāyaśāḥ ||
Sañjaya said: Though the son of Mādrī (Sahadeva) had come into a condition fit to be slain, the foe-slayer Karṇa did not kill him on the battlefield, O King. Remembering the word he had given to Kuntī, that truth-bound and greatly renowned warrior restrained himself—placing fidelity to his promise above the immediate advantage of war.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even amid war, personal dharma expressed as fidelity to one’s pledged word (satya-saṃdha) can restrain violence; ethical commitment is portrayed as superior to tactical gain.
On the battlefield Sahadeva becomes vulnerable to death, yet Karṇa refrains from killing him because he remembers the promise he had given earlier to Kuntī.