Shloka 42
Aśvatthāman’s Arrow-Screen and the Confrontation with Yudhiṣṭhira (द्रौणि–युधिष्ठिर-संग्रामः)
मद्रका: सिन्धुसौवीरा: धर्म विद्यु: कथं त्विह
Madrakāḥ Sindhu-Sauvīrāḥ dharmaṃ vidyuḥ kathaṃ tv iha
కర్ణుడు అన్నాడు—“ఈ విషయంలో మద్రకులు, సింధు–సౌవీరులు ధర్మాన్ని ఎలా తెలుసుకోగలరు?”
कर्ण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how appeals to “dharma” can be weaponized in conflict: Karna dismisses certain groups as incapable of understanding righteousness, showing how moral discourse may be entangled with prejudice, political rivalry, and wartime rhetoric rather than impartial ethical reasoning.
In the Karna Parva battle context, Karna speaks in a confrontational tone, questioning the moral authority of the Madras and the Sindhu–Sauvīras regarding the issue at hand, thereby undermining their standing and framing the dispute as one where their counsel on dharma should not be trusted.