Shloka 513
अध्याय ९ — कर्णस्य प्रहारः, योधयुग्मनियोजनम्, शैनेय-कैकेययोर्युद्धविन्यासः
स कथं निहतो वीर: पार्थेन परवीरहा । 'संशप्तकोंमेंसे जो योद्धा सदा मुझे दूसरी ओर युद्धके लिये बुलाया करते हैं
sa kathaṁ nihato vīraḥ pārthena paravīrahā |
Vaiśaṃpāyana berkata: “Bagaimanakah wira pembunuh para juara musuh—Karna—dibunuh oleh Pārtha (Arjuna)? Sedangkan Arjuna sering menangguhkan pertembungan langsung dengan putera sais itu, dengan alasan: ‘Mula-mula akan kuhancurkan Saṃśaptaka yang sentiasa mencabar aku berperang; sesudah itu barulah akan kubunuh Vaikartana Karna di medan laga.’ Maka dengan cara apakah Arjuna akhirnya menjatuhkan Karna, wira terunggul, pemusnah pahlawan musuh itu?”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames an ethical-narrative tension: a renowned hero (Karna) is not merely defeated, but his death demands explanation because of his stature and Arjuna’s earlier postponements. It invites reflection on how vows, strategy, and circumstance intersect with dharma in war—especially when the fall of a great warrior seems to require moral and causal clarification.
The narrator (Vaiśaṃpāyana) poses a pointed question: despite Arjuna repeatedly claiming he would first eliminate the Saṃśaptakas and only then kill Karna, how did Arjuna actually manage to slay Karna, the famed destroyer of enemy champions? The verse functions as a transition into the account of Karna’s death.