Shloka 31
Kṛpa’s Archery Display; Śikhaṇḍin Checked; Suketu Slain; Dhṛṣṭadyumna–Kṛtavarmā Clash (कृपशौर्य–पार्षतहार्दिक्ययुद्धम्)
यावद् गाण्डीवघोषं त्वं न शुणोषि महाहवे । तावदेव त्वया कर्ण शक््यं वक्तुं यथेच्छसि,“कर्ण! महासमरमें जबतक गाण्डीवकी टंकार नहीं सुनते हो, तभीतक तुम जैसा चाहो, बक सकते हो
yāvad gāṇḍīvaghoṣaṃ tvaṃ na śuṇoṣi mahāhave | tāvad eva tvayā karṇa śakyaṃ vaktuṃ yathecchasi |
Sañjaya said: “So long as you do not hear the thunderous twang of Gāṇḍīva on the great battlefield, only so long, O Karṇa, may you speak as you please. Once that sound is heard, your boast will be tested by deed.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse contrasts empty bravado with accountable action: confidence is easy before the true challenge arrives, but dharmic valor is proved only when the decisive moment—symbolized by the sound of Arjuna’s Gāṇḍīva—actually comes.
Sañjaya addresses Karṇa, implying that Karṇa’s bold words will last only until Arjuna’s presence is unmistakably announced by the famed twang of Gāṇḍīva on the battlefield, after which the confrontation will demand real performance rather than speech.