Shloka 41
अर्जुनकर्णसंनिपातवर्णनम् / The Convergence of Arjuna and Karṇa
कच्चित्त्वया तस्य सुमन्दबुद्धे- गण्डीवमुक्तिविशिखैज्वलद्धि: । सकुण्डलं भानुमदुत्तमाज़ं कायात् प्रकृत्तं युधि सव्यसाचिन्,सव्यसाची अर्जुन! क्या तुमने युद्धस्थलमें गाण्डीव धनुषसे छोड़े गये प्रज्वलित बाणोंद्वारा उस मन्दबुद्धि कर्णके कुण्डलमण्डित तेजस्वी मस्तकको धड़से काट गिराया?
kaccit tvayā tasya sumandabuddhe gaṇḍīvamuktiviśikhair jvaladdhiḥ | sakuṇḍalaṃ bhānumad uttamāṅgaṃ kāyāt prakṛttaṃ yudhi savyasācin ||
യുധിഷ്ഠിരൻ പറഞ്ഞു—ഹേ സവ്യസാചി അർജുനാ! യുദ്ധഭൂമിയിൽ ഗാണ്ഡീവത്തിൽ നിന്നു വിട്ട ജ്വലിക്കുന്ന അമ്പുകളാൽ, കുണ്ഡലങ്ങളാൽ അലങ്കരിക്കപ്പെട്ട ആ മന്ദബുദ്ധിയായ കർണന്റെ ദീപ്തമായ ശിരസ്സിനെ ശരീരത്തിൽ നിന്ന് വെട്ടി വീഴ്ത്തിയോ?
युधिषछ्िर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical tension of kṣatriya-dharma: even when an enemy is condemned as ‘foolish’ or blameworthy, the decisive act of battle is framed as duty-bound and consequential. It also shows how leaders bear anxious responsibility for outcomes that determine the moral and political future of their side.
Yudhiṣṭhira urgently questions Arjuna (Savyasācin) about whether Karṇa has been slain—specifically, whether Arjuna has severed Karṇa’s radiant, earring-adorned head with flaming arrows shot from the Gāṇḍīva. The question reflects the high stakes of Karṇa’s presence on the battlefield and the Pandavas’ dependence on Arjuna to neutralize him.