Shloka 29
कर्ण उवाच एवमप्यस्तु भगवन्नेकवीरवधे मम । अमोधां देहि मे शक्ति यथा हन्यां प्रतापिनम्,कर्ण बोला--भगवन्! ऐसा ही हो। तो भी आप एक वीरके वधके लिये मुझे अपनी अमोघ शक्ति दे दीजिये, जिससे मैं अपने प्रतापी शत्रुका वध कर सकूँ
karṇa uvāca evam apy astu bhagavan ekavīra-vadhe mama | amoghāṃ dehi me śaktiṃ yathā hanyāṃ pratāpinam ||
Karna said, “So be it, O venerable one. Even if it must be thus, grant me your unfailing divine weapon for the slaying of a single hero, so that I may strike down my mighty foe.” In this request, Karna accepts a limiting condition—power reserved for only one decisive kill—yet seeks a morally weighty advantage in war: a guaranteed means to end an enemy’s life, revealing both his dependence on divine aid and the ethical tension between valor and the pursuit of an ‘infallible’ victory.
कर्ण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical tension in warfare between personal valor and reliance on guaranteed, divinely sanctioned force. Karna consents to a restriction (one-hero use) yet still seeks an infallible means to kill, underscoring that extraordinary power demands restraint and carries moral weight.
Karna addresses a revered figure and requests an unfailing ‘Śakti’ weapon, specifically for killing a single great warrior. He accepts the terms attached to the boon and asks for the means to slay his formidable enemy in battle.