Shloka 28
घटोत्कच-कर्णयुद्धम्
Ghaṭotkaca–Karna Combat and the Release of Śakti
निकृत्या वज्चिता: पार्था विषयोगैश्व भारत | दग्धा जतुगृहे चापि द्यूतेन च पराजिता:,भारत! हमलोगोंने कपट करके कुन्तीकुमारोंको छला, उन्हें मारनेके लिये विषका प्रयोग किया, लाक्षागृहमें जलाया, जूएमें हटाया और राजनीतिका सहारा लेकर उन्हें वनमें भी भेजा। इस प्रकार प्रयत्नपूर्वक किये हुए हमारे उन सभी कार्योंको दैवने नष्ट कर दिया
nikṛtyā vañcitāḥ pārthā viṣayogaiś ca bhārata | dagdhā jātugṛhe cāpi dyūtena ca parājitāḥ ||
कर्ण उवाच—भारत! निकृत्या वञ्चिताः पार्था विषयोगैश्च भारत। दग्धा जतुगृहे चापि द्यूतेन च पराजिताः॥ यत्नेन कृतमेतत्तु सर्वं दैवेन नाशितम्।
कर्ण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical weight of deliberate wrongdoing (treachery, attempted murder, and manipulation) and contrasts human scheming with the overruling force of daiva (destiny). It implicitly critiques adharma: even carefully planned injustice can recoil, and moral disorder invites ruin.
Karna recounts the Kauravas’ earlier plots against the Pāṇḍavas—poisoning, the lac-house arson attempt, and the dice-game humiliation/defeat—acknowledging these as intentional acts of deception. He frames their failure as destiny thwarting their efforts, setting a reflective tone amid the war context.