Shloka 38
ततश्कछित्त्वा कवचं दिव्यमज्भात् तथैवार्द् प्रददौ वासवाय । तथोत्कृत्य प्रददौ कुण्डले ते कर्णात् तस्मात् कर्मणा तेन कर्ण:,तदनन्तर अपने शरीरसे दिव्य कवचको उधेड़कर कर्णने इन्द्रके हाथमें दे दिया; वह कवच उस समय रक्तसे भीगा हुआ ही था। इसी प्रकार उसने कानोंके वे कुण्डल भी काटकर दे दिये। अत: इस कर्णन (कर्तन) रूपी कर्मसे उसका नाम “कर्ण” हुआ
tataś chittvā kavacaṁ divyam ajbhāt tathaivārdrāṁ pradadau vāsavāya | tathotkṛtya pradadau kuṇḍale te karṇāt tasmāt karmaṇā tena karṇaḥ ||
Vaiśaṃpāyana said: Then Karṇa cut off his divine armor—still wet with blood—and handed it to Vāsava (Indra). In the same way he tore off and gave the two earrings from his ears. Because of that act of cutting (karṇa—‘ear’/‘cutting’), he came to be known as “Karṇa.” Ethically, the episode highlights the extremity of dāna (gift-giving): Karṇa chooses generosity and keeping his pledged word even at the cost of his own protection and life, revealing both his virtue and the tragic vulnerability it creates.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds the dharma of dāna and satya: Karṇa upholds his reputation for giving and honoring a request even when it endangers him. It raises an ethical tension—virtue practiced without prudence can become self-destructive—yet the text presents his gift as a powerful testament to steadfastness and generosity.
Karṇa physically removes his innate divine protections—his celestial armor and earrings—and gives them to Vāsava (Indra), who has approached him to obtain them. The narration also links this cutting of the earrings from the ears to the name ‘Karṇa,’ emphasizing the dramatic, bodily cost of the gift.