Shloka 9
कर्णपरर्वणि त्रयोचत्वारिंशदध्यायः (Karṇa-parva Adhyāya 43) — Kṛṣṇa’s Battlefield Assessment and the Reversal Around Bhīma
कार्येणात्यर्थगूढेन वाहीकेपूषितं मया । तत एषां समाचार: संवासाद् विदितो मम,“मैं अत्यन्त गुप्त कार्यवश कुछ दिनोंतक बाहीक देशमें रहा था। इससे वहाँके निवासियोंके सम्पर्कमें आकर मैंने उनके आचार-व्यवहारकी बहुत-सी बातें जान ली थीं
kāryeṇātyarthagūḍhena vāhīke pūṣitaṃ mayā | tata eṣāṃ samācāraḥ saṃvāsād vidito mama ||
Karna berkata: “Oleh sebab suatu misi yang mesti dirahsiakan sepenuhnya, aku tinggal beberapa hari di negeri Vāhīka. Maka, melalui pergaulan rapat dan menetap bersama mereka, adat kebiasaan serta cara hidup mereka menjadi diketahui olehku.”
कर्ण उवाच
Educational Q&A
Karna grounds his claims in direct experience: ethical or social judgments should be based on close observation and lived contact (saṃvāsa), not mere hearsay—though such testimony can also be used rhetorically to persuade in a wartime context.
Karna explains that he once stayed in the Vāhīka region on a highly confidential assignment; because he lived among the people there, he learned their customary behavior firsthand and now cites that knowledge in his speech.