Shloka 31
वृणोमि कीर्ति लोके हि जीवितेनापि भानुमन् । कीर्तिमानश्षुते स्वर्ग हीनकीर्तिस्तु नश्यति,अतः सूर्यदेव! मैं जीवन देकर भी जगतमें कीर्तिका ही वरण करूँगा। कीर्तिमान् पुरुष स्वर्गका सुख भोगता है। जिसकी कीर्ति नष्ट हो जाती है, वह स्वयं भी नष्ट ही है
vṛṇomi kīrtiṃ loke hi jīvitena api bhānuman | kīrtimān aśnute svargaṃ hīnakīrtis tu naśyati ||
Karna declares that, even at the cost of his very life, he chooses fame and lasting renown in this world. One who is endowed with good repute attains the joys of heaven, but the one whose fame is lost is, in effect, ruined as well. Addressing the Sun, he frames his resolve as an ethical commitment: life is transient, but honor and the moral weight of one’s name can outlive the body and determine one’s posthumous destiny.
कर्ण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that kīrti (honorable reputation grounded in valued conduct) is worth more than mere survival: it outlasts the body and is linked to one’s moral and posthumous outcome. A person of good repute ‘attains heaven,’ while loss of honor is portrayed as a kind of existential ruin.
Karna, speaking in the Vana Parva context, addresses the Sun-god (Sūrya) and states his firm resolve: even if life must be sacrificed, he will choose renown and the honor of his name. The statement functions as a self-vow, aligning his actions with a warrior’s ideal of enduring fame.