Shloka 28

घटोत्कच-कर्णयुद्धम्

Ghaṭotkaca–Karna Combat and the Release of Śakti

Devanagari script

निकृत्या वज्चिता: पार्था विषयोगैश्व भारत | दग्धा जतुगृहे चापि द्यूतेन च पराजिता:,भारत! हमलोगोंने कपट करके कुन्तीकुमारोंको छला, उन्हें मारनेके लिये विषका प्रयोग किया, लाक्षागृहमें जलाया, जूएमें हटाया और राजनीतिका सहारा लेकर उन्हें वनमें भी भेजा। इस प्रकार प्रयत्नपूर्वक किये हुए हमारे उन सभी कार्योंको दैवने नष्ट कर दिया

Transliteration

nikṛtyā vañcitāḥ pārthā viṣayogaiś ca bhārata | dagdhā jātugṛhe cāpi dyūtena ca parājitāḥ ||

Translation

ກັນນະໄດ້ກ່າວວ່າ: «ໂອ ຜູ້ສືບສາຍພາຣະຕະ! ດ້ວຍກົນລະຍຸດ ພວກເຮົາໄດ້ຫລອກລວງບຸດຂອງປຣິຖາ; ໄດ້ໃຊ້ພິດເພື່ອຂ້າເຂົາ; ໄດ້ພະຍາຍາມເຜົາເຂົາໃນເຮືອນຂີ້ຍາງ; ແລະໄດ້ເອົາຊະນະເຂົາດ້ວຍການຫຼິ້ນລູກເຕົ໋າ. ແຕ່ເຖິງຢ່າງນັ້ນ ຊະຕາກຳໄດ້ກັບຄືນທຳລາຍຄວາມພະຍາຍາມທີ່ຈົ່ງໃຈຂອງພວກເຮົາທັງໝົດ»។

Word by Word

निकृत्याby deceit, deceitfully

वञ्चिताःwere deceived/cheated

पार्थाःthe sons of Pṛthā (Pāṇḍavas)

विषयोगैःby applications/uses of poison

चand

भारतO Bhārata

दग्धाःwere burned

जतुगृहेin the lac-house

चand

अपिalso, even

द्यूतेनby gambling/dice-play

चand

पराजिताःwere defeated

भारतO Bhārata

Speaker

कर्ण उवाच

Characters & Entities

Karna

Pārthas (Pāṇḍavas / sons of Kuntī)

Bhārata (addressee)

Viṣa (poison)

Jātugṛha (lac house)

Dyūta (dice-game)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the ethical weight of deliberate wrongdoing (treachery, attempted murder, and manipulation) and contrasts human scheming with the overruling force of daiva (destiny). It implicitly critiques adharma: even carefully planned injustice can recoil, and moral disorder invites ruin.

What is happening in the narrative?

Karna recounts the Kauravas’ earlier plots against the Pāṇḍavas—poisoning, the lac-house arson attempt, and the dice-game humiliation/defeat—acknowledging these as intentional acts of deception. He frames their failure as destiny thwarting their efforts, setting a reflective tone amid the war context.