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Shloka 3

कि नु तज्जपतां श्रेष्ठ कर्ण प्रति महद्‌ भयम्‌ । आसीज्न च स धर्मात्मा कथयामास कस्यचित्‌

ki nu taj japatāṃ śreṣṭha karṇa prati mahad bhayam | āsīj na ca sa dharmātmā kathayāmāsa kasyacit ||

Janamejaya bertanya: “Wahai yang terbaik antara para pembaca suci, apakah ketakutan besar itu berkenaan dengan Karṇa? Dan mengapa insan yang berhati dharma itu tidak menceritakannya kepada sesiapa pun?”

किम्what
किम्:
Karma
TypePronoun
Rootकिम्
Formneuter, nominative/accusative, singular
नुindeed/then (interrogative particle)
नु:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootनु
तत्that
तत्:
Karma
TypePronoun
Rootतद्
Formneuter, nominative/accusative, singular
जपताम्of those who are muttering/reciting (prayers)
जपताम्:
TypeVerb-derived (participle)
Rootजप्
Formशतृ (present active participle), masculine/neuter (contextual), genitive, plural
श्रेष्ठO best (one)
श्रेष्ठ:
TypeNoun (vocative use)
Rootश्रेष्ठ
Formmasculine, vocative, singular
कर्णO Karna
कर्ण:
TypeNoun (proper name)
Rootकर्ण
Formmasculine, vocative, singular
प्रतिtowards/with regard to
प्रति:
TypeIndeclinable (preposition)
Rootप्रति
महत्great
महत्:
TypeAdjective
Rootमहत्
Formneuter, nominative/accusative, singular
भयम्fear
भयम्:
Karta
TypeNoun
Rootभय
Formneuter, nominative/accusative, singular
आसीत्was
आसीत्:
TypeVerb
Rootअस्
Formimperfect (लङ्), 3rd, singular, parasmaipada
and
:
TypeIndeclinable
Root
सःhe
सः:
Karta
TypePronoun
Rootतद्
Formmasculine, nominative, singular
धर्मात्माrighteous-souled (man)
धर्मात्मा:
TypeNoun/Adjective
Rootधर्मात्मन्
Formmasculine, nominative, singular
कथयामासtold/related
कथयामास:
TypeVerb
Rootकथ्
Formperfect periphrastic (लिट्), 3rd, singular, parasmaipada
कस्यचित्of someone/of a certain (person)
कस्यचित्:
TypePronoun
Rootकिम्
Formmasculine/neuter, genitive, singular

जनमेजय उवाच

J
Janamejaya
K
Karṇa

Educational Q&A

The verse highlights ethical restraint and discernment in speech: even a dharmic person may withhold grave information when disclosure could be improper, harmful, or untimely, prompting reflection on when truth should be spoken and when silence serves dharma.

In the frame dialogue, King Janamejaya questions the narrator about a previously mentioned “great fear” connected to Karṇa and asks why a righteous individual kept it undisclosed, setting up an explanation of the background and motives.