Shloka 25

कर्णनिधनवृत्तान्तनिवेदनम् | Reporting Karṇa’s Fall to Yudhiṣṭhira

Devanagari script

अयुध्यमानस्य वधस्तथाशत्रोश्व मानद | पराड्मुखस्य द्रवत: शरणं चापि गच्छत:

Transliteration

ayudhyamānasya vadhastathāśatroś ca mānada | parāṅmukhasya dravataḥ śaraṇaṃ cāpi gacchataḥ ||

Translation

Śrī Kṛṣṇa bersabda: “Wahai yang mulia, membunuh seseorang yang tidak bertempur, yang tidak menyimpan permusuhan, yang berpaling dari medan perang lalu melarikan diri, atau yang mencari perlindungan—bahkan yang datang memohon naungan—tidak diperkenankan oleh insan terbaik. Semua keadaan itu ada pada abang sulungmu.”

Word by Word

• {'ayudhyamāna': 'one who is not fighting, non-combatant at that moment', 'vadha': 'slaying, killing', 'aśatru': 'one who is not an enemy

• non-hostile person', 'mānada': '‘giver of honor’

• a respectful address meaning noble one', 'parāṅmukha': 'turned away, facing away

• withdrawing from combat', 'dravat': 'running, fleeing', 'śaraṇa': 'refuge, protection, asylum', 'gacchataḥ': 'of one who is going/approaching (for refuge)'}

Speaker

श्रीकृष्ण उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Śrī Kṛṣṇa
• your elder brother (addressed person’s elder brother)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Kṛṣṇa states a dharma-based rule of warfare: it is not considered righteous to kill someone who is not fighting, has turned away and is fleeing, or is seeking refuge/protection. Ethical restraint is part of true heroism.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Karṇa Parva battle context, Kṛṣṇa addresses a warrior (calling him ‘mānada’) and argues that the warrior’s elder brother fits the protected categories—non-combatant/withdrawing/fleeing/seeking refuge—therefore he should not be slain.