Shloka 52
युधिष्ठिरस्य धनंजय-प्रति गर्हा
Yudhiṣṭhira’s Reproach to Dhanaṃjaya
पवित्रीकर्तुमात्मानं स्कन्धे संस्पृश्य पाणिना । ग्रहीतुमिच्छन् स बलात् कुन्तीवाक्यं च सो5स्मरत्
pavitrīkartuṃ ātmānaṃ skandhe saṃspṛśya pāṇinā | grahītum icchan sa balāt kuntīvākyaṃ ca so 'smarat ||
サンジャヤは語った。カルナは（ユディシュティラ）の肩に手を触れ、まるでそれで自らを清めるかのように、力ずくで捕らえようとした。だがその刹那、クンティー王妃に与えた誓いをふと思い出した。その瞬間、敵を捕らえんとする衝動は、誓約の言葉から生まれた倫理の抑制と激しくぶつかった。
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even amid violent conflict, a pledged word (satya and pratijñā) exerts moral force: Karṇa’s remembrance of his promise to Kuntī restrains or complicates his immediate martial impulse, showing how dharma operates through personal commitments.
Karṇa pursues Yudhiṣṭhira and reaches close enough to touch his shoulder, intending to seize him forcibly; at that very moment he recalls the assurance he had given to Kuntī, creating a tension between battlefield advantage and fidelity to his vow.