Shloka 2
कर्णपरर्वणि त्रयोचत्वारिंशदध्यायः (Karṇa-parva Adhyāya 43) — Kṛṣṇa’s Battlefield Assessment and the Reversal Around Bhīma
संजय उवाच तथा ब्रुवन्तं परुषं कर्णो मद्राधिपं तदा । परुषं द्विगुणं भूय: प्रोवाचाप्रियदर्शनम्,संजय कहते हैं--राजन्! ऐसी कठोर बात बोलते हुए मद्रराज शल्यसे कर्णने पुनः दूनी कठोरता लिये अप्रिय वचन कहना आरम्भ किया
sañjaya uvāca tathā bruvantaṃ paruṣaṃ karṇo madrādhipaṃ tadā | paruṣaṃ dviguṇaṃ bhūyaḥ provācāpriyadarśanam ||
Sañjaya berkata: “Wahai Raja, ketika Śalya, penguasa Madra, menuturkan kata-kata yang begitu keras, Karṇa—yang pada saat itu bahkan raut wajahnya tampak tidak menyenangkan—menjawab lagi dengan ujaran yang dua kali lebih tajam. Pertukaran ini memperlihatkan bagaimana amarah dan maruah yang terluka, apabila dituruti, segera memuncak menjadi kekejaman yang lebih besar, menggelapkan pertimbangan menjelang pertempuran.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical danger of retaliatory speech: harsh words invite harsher replies, multiplying hostility. It implicitly warns that self-control (especially in speech) is crucial for right judgment and dharmic conduct, particularly in high-stakes situations like war.
Shalya, the king of Madra, has spoken harshly; Karna responds again, but with doubled harshness. Sanjaya reports this to the king, marking the intensifying tension between Karna and his charioteer Shalya during the war narrative.