Mahabharata — Karna Parva, Shloka 11
धर्मरहस्योपदेशः
Dharma-rahasya Instruction: Vows, Truth, and Non-injury
हन्तास्म्यद्य रणे कर्ण स वा मां निहनिष्यति । संग्रामेण सुघोरेण सत्यमेतद् ब्रवीमि ते
hantāsmy adya raṇe karṇa sa vā māṁ nihaniṣyati | saṅgrāmeṇa sughoreṇa satyam etad bravīmi te ||
आज रणभूमीत मी कर्णाचा निश्चयाने वध करीन, किंवा तोच माझा वध करील. अत्यंत घोर संग्रामात आमच्यापैकी एकाचा नाश ठरलेलाच आहे—हे सत्य मी तुला सांगतो.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights uncompromising resolve in a righteous-or-wrongful conflict while insisting on satya (truthfulness): the speaker openly states the intended course and accepts the reciprocal risk. Ethically, it underscores accountability—declaring one’s intent and facing the consequences of violence without self-deception.
Sañjaya reports a warrior’s grim determination regarding Karṇa: a decisive duel is imminent, described as sughora (terrible). The statement forecasts that the coming encounter will end with one killing the other, emphasizing the fatal intensity of the battle.