Shloka 2
कर्णपरर्वणि त्रयोचत्वारिंशदध्यायः (Karṇa-parva Adhyāya 43) — Kṛṣṇa’s Battlefield Assessment and the Reversal Around Bhīma
संजय उवाच तथा ब्रुवन्तं परुषं कर्णो मद्राधिपं तदा । परुषं द्विगुणं भूय: प्रोवाचाप्रियदर्शनम्
sañjaya uvāca tathā bruvantaṃ paruṣaṃ karṇo madrādhipaṃ tadā | paruṣaṃ dviguṇaṃ bhūyaḥ provācāpriyadarśanam ||
സഞ്ജയൻ പറഞ്ഞു—“രാജാവേ, മദ്രാധിപനായ ശല്യൻ ഇങ്ങനെ കടുപ്പമായി പറഞ്ഞപ്പോൾ, കർണനും ആ നിമിഷം ക്രോധത്തിൽ മുഖം വിരൂപമായി, വീണ്ടും ഇരട്ടിയോളം കടുപ്പമുള്ള അപ്രിയവാക്കുകൾ പറഞ്ഞു.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical danger of retaliatory speech: harsh words invite harsher replies, multiplying hostility. It implicitly warns that self-control (especially in speech) is crucial for right judgment and dharmic conduct, particularly in high-stakes situations like war.
Shalya, the king of Madra, has spoken harshly; Karna responds again, but with doubled harshness. Sanjaya reports this to the king, marking the intensifying tension between Karna and his charioteer Shalya during the war narrative.