Shloka 14
Aśvatthāman’s Arrow-Screen and the Confrontation with Yudhiṣṭhira (द्रौणि–युधिष्ठिर-संग्रामः)
मणी सूत्र इव प्रोतौ द्रष्टासि निहतौ मया । धागेमें पिरोयी हुई दो मणियोंके समान प्रेमसूत्रमें बँधे हुए उन दोनों फुफेरे और ममेरे भाइयोंको, जो किसीसे पराजित नहीं होते, तुम मेरे द्वारा मारा गया देखोगे ।। १३ $ ।। अर्जुने गाण्डिवं कृष्णे चक्र ताक्ष्यकपिध्वजौ
maṇī sūtra iva protau draṣṭāsi nihatāu mayā | dhāge meṁ piroyī huī do maṇiyoṁ ke samān premasūtre meṁ baṁdhe hue un donoṁ phuphere aur mamere bhāiyoṁ ko, jo kisī se parājit nahīṁ hote, tuma mere dvārā mārā gayā dekhoge || (pāṭhāntara/anuśeṣaḥ) arjune gāṇḍīvaṁ kṛṣṇe cakra-tākṣyaka-kapidhvajau ||
Karna said: “You will see those two brothers—bound to one another like two gems strung on a single thread of affection—lying slain by my hand. Though they are famed as unconquerable, I shall bring them down. And as for Arjuna with the Gāṇḍīva, and Kṛṣṇa with his discus, and the banner marked by the monkey and Takṣaka—these too are named as the powers I will confront.”
कर्ण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the kṣatriya ethos of public vows and martial resolve, while also exposing the ethical tension of war: affection and kinship (‘thread of love’) coexist with the intent to kill. It invites reflection on how pride, rivalry, and duty can harden into violent certainty.
In Karṇa Parva, Karna is asserting his confidence and issuing a threat: he claims he will slay two closely bonded brothers (described as cousins/brothers bound by love like two gems on one thread). The appended line names Arjuna with the Gāṇḍīva and Kṛṣṇa with the discus and Arjuna’s distinctive banner, indicating the formidable opponents and emblems present on the battlefield.