Shloka 25

कर्णनिधनवृत्तान्तनिवेदनम् | Reporting Karṇa’s Fall to Yudhiṣṭhira

Devanagari script

अयुध्यमानस्य वधस्तथाशत्रोश्व मानद | पराड्मुखस्य द्रवत: शरणं चापि गच्छत:

Transliteration

ayudhyamānasya vadhastathāśatroś ca mānada | parāṅmukhasya dravataḥ śaraṇaṃ cāpi gacchataḥ ||

Translation

ພຣະກຣິດສະນາຕັດວ່າ: «ໂອ ຜູ້ມີກຽດ, ການຂ້າຄົນທີ່ບໍ່ສູ້, ບໍ່ມີຄວາມອາຄາດ, ຫັນຫນ້າອອກຈາກສົງຄາມແລະກຳລັງຫນີ, ຫຼືກຳລັງໄປຂໍພຶ່ງພາ—ແມ່ນຄົນທີ່ມາຂໍການຄຸ້ມຄອງ—ບໍ່ເປັນທີ່ຍອມຮັບຂອງຜູ້ປະເສີດ. ເງື່ອນໄຂເຫຼົ່ານີ້ທັງໝົດມີຢູ່ໃນພີ່ໃຫຍ່ຂອງເຈົ້າ»។

Word by Word

• {'ayudhyamāna': 'one who is not fighting, non-combatant at that moment', 'vadha': 'slaying, killing', 'aśatru': 'one who is not an enemy

• non-hostile person', 'mānada': '‘giver of honor’

• a respectful address meaning noble one', 'parāṅmukha': 'turned away, facing away

• withdrawing from combat', 'dravat': 'running, fleeing', 'śaraṇa': 'refuge, protection, asylum', 'gacchataḥ': 'of one who is going/approaching (for refuge)'}

Speaker

श्रीकृष्ण उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Śrī Kṛṣṇa
• your elder brother (addressed person’s elder brother)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Kṛṣṇa states a dharma-based rule of warfare: it is not considered righteous to kill someone who is not fighting, has turned away and is fleeing, or is seeking refuge/protection. Ethical restraint is part of true heroism.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Karṇa Parva battle context, Kṛṣṇa addresses a warrior (calling him ‘mānada’) and argues that the warrior’s elder brother fits the protected categories—non-combatant/withdrawing/fleeing/seeking refuge—therefore he should not be slain.