Shloka 48
Udyoga Parva 142: Vidura’s warning to Kuntī and Kuntī’s resolve to meet Karṇa
Gaṅgātīra encounter begins
कर्ण उवाच अपि त्वां कृष्ण पश्याम जीवन्तो5स्मान्महारणात् | समुत्तीर्णा महाबाहो वीरक्षत्रविनाशनात्,कर्ण बोला--महाबाह श्रीकृष्ण! वीर क्षत्रियोंका विनाश करनेवाले इस महायुद्धसे पार होकर यदि हम जीवित बच गये तो पुनः: आपका दर्शन करेंगे
Karṇa uvāca: api tvāṃ Kṛṣṇa paśyāma jīvanto ’smān mahāraṇāt | samuttīrṇā mahābāho vīrakṣatra-vināśanāt ||
कर्ण म्हणाला—महाबाहो श्रीकृष्ण! वीर क्षत्रियांचा संहार करणाऱ्या या महायुद्धातून पार पडून जर आम्ही जिवंत राहिलो, तर पुन्हा तुमचे दर्शन घेऊ.
कर्ण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the fragility of life amid dharmic warfare: even great heroes speak with uncertainty about survival. It highlights the ethical weight of war—seen as a force that annihilates the warrior class—and the humility of acknowledging that future meetings depend on fate and the outcome of righteous yet devastating conflict.
Karna addresses Krishna directly, expressing a conditional hope: if they survive and successfully pass through the impending great battle—described as a destroyer of heroic kshatriyas—then they will meet and see Krishna again. The line conveys foreboding and the expectation of massive loss.