Shloka 29

कर्णेन सैन्यस्थापनं तथा नानायुद्धसमवायः

Karna Reforms the Host and Multiple Duels Converge

Devanagari script

कृतघ्नता परवित्तापहारो मद्यपानं गुरुदारावमर्द: । वाक्पारुष्यं गोवधो रात्रिचर्या बहिर्गेहं परवस्त्रोपभोग:

Transliteration

kṛtaghnatā paravittāpahāro madyapānaṃ gurudārāvamardaḥ | vākpāruṣyaṃ govadho rātricaryā bahirgehaṃ paravastrōpabhogaḥ ||

Translation

Karna berkata: “Kekufuran budi, merampas harta orang lain, meminum minuman memabukkan, mencemari isteri guru, tutur kata yang kasar dan menghina, membunuh lembu, berkeliaran pada malam hari untuk tujuan yang tidak wajar, tinggal di luar rumah sendiri, serta memakai atau menikmati pakaian orang lain—semuanya ini ialah perbuatan yang menandai kejatuhan akhlak dan mengundang cela dalam tertib dharma.”

Word by Word

कृतघ्नताingratitude

परवित्तापहारःstealing of another's wealth

मद्यपानम्drinking liquor

गुरुदारावमर्दःviolating (dishonoring) the wife of one's teacher/elder

वाक्पारुष्यम्harshness of speech

गोवधःkilling a cow

रात्रिचर्याroaming at night; nocturnal wandering

बहिर्गेहम्outside the house

परवस्त्रोपभोगःusing/enjoying another's clothes (property)

Speaker

कर्ण उवाच

Characters & Entities

Karna

guru (teacher/preceptor)

guru’s wife

cow

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse lists behaviors condemned by dharma—ingratitude, theft, intoxication, sexual violation (especially involving the teacher’s wife), abusive speech, cow-killing, and other socially destructive acts—presenting them as markers of ethical degradation and sources of blame.

What is happening in the narrative?

Karna is speaking in a didactic mode, enumerating actions regarded as grave moral faults. The statement functions as ethical instruction within the broader war-time discourse, emphasizing that even amid conflict, certain transgressions remain censurable.