Shloka 70
एतौ च हत्वा युधि पातयिष्ये मां वापि कृष्णौ निहनिष्यतोड्द्य । मद्रराज! अर्जुनके साथ युद्धके विषयमें जो आज मेरा मनोरथ है, वह अविलम्ब और शीघ्र सफल होगा। यह युद्ध अत्यन्त अद्भुत, विचित्र और अनुपम होगा। मैं युद्धस्थलमें इन दोनोंको मार गिराऊँगा अथवा वे दोनों ही कृष्ण मुझे मार डालेंगे ।।
etau ca hatvā yudhi pātayiṣye māṃ vā api kṛṣṇau nihaniṣyato 'dya | iti bruvan śalyam amitrahantā karṇo raṇe megha ivonnanāda | yathā bhavadbhir bhṛśa-vikṣitāv ubhau sukhena hanyām aham adya bhūmipāḥ ||
Disse Karna: “Nesta batalha derrubarei esses dois; ou então esses dois—Kṛṣṇa e Arjuna—hão de matar-me hoje.” Tendo dito isso a Śalya, Karna, célebre como matador de inimigos, bradou no campo de batalha como uma nuvem de trovão. Em seguida instou os reis e guerreiros ao redor: “Heróis, avançai contra Kṛṣṇa e Arjuna; detende seu avanço e, com todo esforço, exauri-os depressa, para que, depois de os terdes ferido e maltratado gravemente—esses dois Kṛṣṇas—eu possa matá-los com facilidade hoje.”
कर्ण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage underscores the warrior ethic (kṣatriya-dharma) of unwavering resolve in battle while acknowledging mortality: Karna openly accepts that either he will fell Krishna–Arjuna or be slain by them. It also reveals a harsher ethical reality of epic warfare—victory is pursued through coordinated tactics (exhausting and wounding the opponent) rather than isolated heroism alone.
Karna, speaking to his charioteer Shalya, declares his determination to bring down Krishna and Arjuna (or die trying). He roars on the battlefield, is encouraged by Duryodhana, and then instructs allied kings and warriors to charge, block, and tire Krishna–Arjuna so that Karna can finish them once they are badly wounded.