Shloka 62

कर्णनिधनवृत्तान्तनिवेदनम् | Reporting Karṇa’s Fall to Yudhiṣṭhira

Devanagari script

जो मनुष्य किसी कार्यके लिये प्रतिज्ञा करके उसका प्रकारान्तरसे उपपादन करता है, वह दम्भी होनेके कारण उसका फल नहीं पाता, ऐसा मनीषी पुरुषोंका कथन है ।। प्राणात्यये विवाहे वा सर्वज्ञातिवधात्यये । नर्मण्यभिप्रवृत्ते वा न च प्रोक्ते मृषा भवेत्‌

Transliteration

yo manuṣyaḥ kasyacit kāryasya kṛte pratijñāṃ kṛtvā tasya prakārāntareṇa upapādanaṃ karoti, sa dambhī bhūtvā tasya phalaṃ na prāpnoti—iti manīṣi-puruṣāṇāṃ vacanam || prāṇātyaye vivāhe vā sarva-jñāti-vadhātyaye | narmaṇy abhipravṛtte vā na ca prokte mṛṣā bhavet ||

Translation

ବାୟୁ କହିଲେ—ଯେ ମଣିଷ କୌଣସି କାର୍ଯ୍ୟ ପାଇଁ ପ୍ରତିଜ୍ଞା କରି ପରେ ଅନ୍ୟ ଉପାୟରେ ତାହାକୁ ‘ପୂରଣ’ କରିବାକୁ ଚେଷ୍ଟା କରେ, ସେ ଦମ୍ଭ ହେତୁ ତାହାର ଫଳ ପାଉ ନାହିଁ—ଏହିପରି ମନୀଷୀମାନେ କହନ୍ତି। ତଥାପି ପ୍ରାଣାପାୟରେ, ବିବାହ ପ୍ରସଙ୍ଗରେ, ସମସ୍ତ ଜ୍ଞାତିଙ୍କ ବଧ ଆସନ୍ନ ହେଲେ, କିମ୍ବା ହାସ୍ୟ-ପରିହାସରେ—ଏମିତି ସ୍ଥିତିରେ ଅସତ୍ୟ ଦୋଷରୂପ ହୁଏ ନାହିଁ, ଯଦି ତାହା ପ୍ରକୃତରେ ଉଚ୍ଚାରିତ ହୋଇନଥାଏ।

Word by Word

प्राणात्ययेat the time of danger to life / at life’s end

विवाहेin marriage

वाor

सर्वज्ञातिवधात्ययेwhen the killing of all kinsmen is imminent / at the crisis of total kin-slaying

नर्मणिin jest / in play

अभिप्रवृत्तेwhen (something) has been undertaken / is in progress

वाor

नnot

चand

प्रोक्तेwhen spoken / when said

मृषाfalsely / untruthfully

भवेत्would be / should become

Speaker

वायुदेव उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vāyu (Vāyudeva)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

A vow must be fulfilled in its true spirit; fulfilling it through a different workaround is hypocrisy and yields no merit. Yet dharma recognizes rare edge-cases where untruth is not culpable—especially to save life, protect kin from catastrophe, or in harmless jest—so long as it is not actually spoken as a deceitful assertion.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Karṇa Parva, amid the moral pressure of war, Vāyu speaks as a moral authority, warning against performative righteousness (dambha) in keeping promises, while also stating traditional dharma-exceptions where strict truth-telling may be relaxed in extreme or socially sensitive situations.