Shloka 20
जतुगृहदाहः — The Burning of the Lac House and the Pāṇḍavas’ Concealed Escape
कि क्षेपैर्दुर्बलायासै: शरै: कथय भारत । गुरो: समक्ष यावत् ते हराम्यद्य शिर: शरै:,भारत! आक्षेप करना तो दुर्बलोंका प्रयास है। इससे क्या लाभ है? साहस हो तो बाणोंसे बातचीत करो। मैं आज तुम्हारे गुरुके सामने ही बाणोंद्वारा तुम्हारा सिर धड़से अलग किये देता हूँ
kiṁ kṣepair durbalāyāsaiḥ śaraiḥ kathaya bhārata | guroḥ samakṣaṁ yāvat te harāmy adya śiraḥ śaraiḥ ||
Karna said: “What is the use of taunts—such efforts are for the weak. If you have courage, speak with arrows. Even here, in the very presence of your teacher, I will today sever your head from your body with my shafts.” The verse frames martial valor as action rather than insult, revealing Karna’s fierce pride and the escalating ethic of kṣatriya contest where honor is claimed through prowess, not words.
कर्ण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse contrasts empty provocation with decisive action: taunting is portrayed as a weak substitute for true courage. In the kṣatriya moral frame, honor is tested through demonstrated prowess and self-confidence, not through verbal aggression.
Karna responds to an opponent’s verbal challenge by dismissing insults and escalating the confrontation into a direct martial contest. He issues a bold threat that, even in the presence of the opponent’s teacher, he can kill him with arrows—signaling rising tension and Karna’s uncompromising warrior stance.