Shloka 393
कर्णपरर्वणि त्रयोचत्वारिंशदध्यायः (Karṇa-parva Adhyāya 43) — Kṛṣṇa’s Battlefield Assessment and the Reversal Around Bhīma
तद्वद् भूतिलये स्नात्वा कथं स्वर्ग गमिष्यति । “युगन्धर नगरमें दूध पीकर अच्युतस्थल नामक नगरमें एक रात रहकर तथा भूतिलयमें स्नान करके मनुष्य कैसे स्वर्गमें जायगा?”
tadvat bhūtilaye snātvā kathaṃ svarga gamiṣyati |
Nagtanong si Karna nang may pag-aalinlangan: “Paano makaaabot sa langit ang tao kung paliligo lamang sa Bhūtilaya? Maaari bang gawing payak na ritwal ang kaligtasan, na hiwalay sa tunay na kabutihan, wastong asal, at pananagutang moral?”
कर्ण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse voices a critique of mechanical religiosity: Karna implies that heaven is not gained by a single external rite alone, but should be grounded in genuine merit, disciplined conduct, and dharmic living.
In Karna’s speech, he challenges a claim about the efficacy of a particular tīrtha-bath (Bhūtilaya), questioning how such an act by itself could guarantee ascent to svarga.