Shloka 19
काममस्तु तथा तात तव कर्ण यथेच्छसि । वर्जयित्वा तु मे वज्॑ प्रवृणीष्व यथेच्छसि,तात कर्ण! तुम्हारी रुचिके अनुसार इन वस्तुओंका परिवर्तन ही हो जाय। मेरे वज्ञको छोड़कर तुम जो चाहो, वही आयुध मुझसे माँग लो
kāmam astu tathā tāta tava karṇa yathecchasi | varjayitvā tu me vajraṁ pravṛṇīṣva yathecchasi ||
Śakra said: “So be it, dear one—O Karṇa—let it be as you wish. Yet leaving aside my thunderbolt, choose from me whatever weapon you desire.” In this exchange, Indra grants freedom of choice while setting a firm ethical boundary: generosity must not extend to surrendering what upholds cosmic order and divine responsibility.
शक्र उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even when granting boons or acting generously, one must preserve essential duties and safeguards. Indra models principled giving: he honors the other’s wish but refuses to part with the vajra, a symbol of his divine office and the protection of order.
Indra (Śakra) addresses Karṇa and permits him to choose a weapon as he likes, with one explicit exception: Indra’s own vajra. The line marks a negotiated gift—generosity bounded by responsibility—within the larger Karṇa–Indra encounter in the Vana Parva.