Shloka 4
वनवासे व्यतीते च कर्ण वर्षे त्रयोदशे । न प्रयच्छसि यद् राज्यं क्व ते धर्मस्तदा गत:
vanavāse vyatīte ca karṇa varṣe trayodaśe | na prayacchasi yad rājyaṃ kva te dharmas tadā gataḥ ||
Sañjaya berkata: “Wahai Karṇa, sekalipun masa pembuangan telah berlalu dan tahun ketiga belas telah genap, ketika engkau tidak memulangkan kerajaan kepada para Pāṇḍava—ke manakah dharma-mu ketika itu?”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Dharma is tested at the moment one has the power to act justly. The verse frames a moral indictment: refusing to return the Pāṇḍavas’ rightful kingdom after the agreed exile reveals a collapse of righteousness, regardless of later claims of honor or duty in war.
Sañjaya addresses Karṇa with a pointed rhetorical question. He recalls the completion of the Pāṇḍavas’ exile (including the thirteenth year) and challenges Karṇa’s moral standing for supporting the refusal to restore their kingdom, thereby highlighting the ethical roots of the ensuing conflict.