Shloka 10
Arjuna’s Approach, Drona’s Recognition, and the Turning of the Cattle (अर्जुनागमनम्, द्रोणवाक्यम्, गोगमनिवृत्तिः)
अद्याहमृणमक्षय्यं पुरा वाचा प्रतिश्रुतम् । धार्तराष्ट्राय दास्यामि निहत्य समरे<र्जुनम्,मैं आज युद्धमें अर्जुनको मारकर पहले की हुई अपनी प्रतिज्ञाके अनुसार दुर्योधनका अक्षय ऋण चुका दूँगा
adyāham ṛṇam akṣayyaṃ purā vācā pratiśrutam | dhārtarāṣṭrāya dāsyāmi nihatya samare 'rjunam ||
Karna berkata: “Hari ini, dengan membunuh Arjuna di medan perang, aku akan melunaskan kepada putera Dhṛtarāṣṭra hutang yang tidak akan luput, sebagaimana pernah kujanjikan dengan kata-kataku.”
कर्ण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds the ethical weight of one’s pledged word (vācā pratiśruta): Karna frames loyalty and repayment of obligation (ṛṇa) as a binding moral force, even when it drives him toward extreme violence in war.
Karna declares his intent to kill Arjuna in battle, presenting it as the fulfillment of an earlier promise and as repayment of an “imperishable debt” owed to Duryodhana, the son of Dhṛtarāṣṭra.