Aśvatthāman’s Arrow-Screen and the Confrontation with Yudhiṣṭhira (द्रौणि–युधिष्ठिर-संग्रामः)
तदर्थे हि मम प्राणा यच्च मे विद्यते वसु । व्यक्त त्वमप्युपहितः पाण्डवै: पापदेशज
tadarthe hi mama prāṇā yac ca me vidyate vasu | vyakta tvam apy upahitaḥ pāṇḍavaiḥ pāpadeśaja ||
“Demi tujuan itulah nafas hidupku dipertaruhkan, dan segala harta yang kumiliki juga. Nyata bahawa engkau pun telah ditempatkan—ditanam oleh para Pāṇḍava, wahai yang berasal dari negeri berdosa.”
कर्ण उवाच
The verse highlights the warrior-ethic of staking one’s very life and wealth for a chosen cause, while also showing how anger and suspicion can turn speech into moral injury through contemptuous labeling and dehumanizing insult.
Karna, speaking in the midst of the Kurukṣetra conflict, declares total commitment—life and resources—for his objective, and then accuses his interlocutor of being a Pāṇḍava-planted agent, intensifying the confrontation with a cutting insult about the person’s origin.