Shloka 46
स एवमुक्तो युधि सूतपुत्र- स्तमब्रवीत् को भवानुग्ररूप: । नागोअब्रवीद् विद्धि कृतागसं मां पार्थेन मातुर्वधजातवैरम्
sa evam ukto yudhi sūtaputraḥ tam abravīt ko bhavān ugrarūpaḥ | nāgo 'bravīd viddhi kṛtāgasaṃ māṃ pārthena mātur vadhajātavairam ||
Sañjaya berkata: Setelah disapa demikian di medan perang, putera sais kereta (Karṇa) bertanya kepadanya, “Siapakah engkau, yang berwajah begitu menggerunkan?” Nāga itu menjawab, “Ketahuilah aku seorang yang telah melakukan kesalahan; permusuhanku terhadap Pārtha (Arjuna) lahir daripada pembunuhan ibuku.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how vengeance can arise from perceived injury (here, a mother’s death) and drive beings into the violence of war; it also frames the avenger as “kṛtāgasa” (one who has done wrong), suggesting ethical awareness that retaliatory hatred, even when emotionally motivated, carries moral fault.
On the battlefield, Karna questions a fearsome figure about his identity. The figure reveals himself as a Nāga who bears enmity toward Arjuna, claiming that this hostility originated from Arjuna’s killing of the Nāga’s mother.