Shloka 33
अर्जुनकर्णसंनिपातवर्णनम् / The Convergence of Arjuna and Karṇa
रौक्मं॑ वरं हस्तिगजा श्वयुक्तं रथं प्रदित्सुर्य: परेभ्यस्त्वदर्थे । सदा रणे स्पर्थते यः स पाप: कच्चित्त्वया निहतस्तात युद्धे
raukmaṁ varaṁ hastigajāśvayuktaṁ rathaṁ praditsur yaḥ parebhyas tvadarthe | sadā raṇe spardhate yaḥ sa pāpaḥ kaccit tvayā nihatas tāta yuddhe ||
Sinabi ni Yudhiṣṭhira: “Anak ko! Ang makasalanang iyon—na para sa iyo ay handang mag-alok sa iba ng isang maringal na karwaheng ginto, nakayuko sa mga elepante at mga kabayo, at laging naghahangad na makipagtagisan sa iyo sa labanan—napatay mo na ba siya sa larangan ng digmaan?”
युधिषछ्िर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames battlefield killing within moral scrutiny: Yudhiṣṭhira does not treat victory as purely tactical but asks whether a morally blameworthy rival—defined by envy, rivalry, and manipulative gifting—has been justly removed. It highlights the dharmic impulse to evaluate violence through ethical character and intention, not merely outcome.
Yudhiṣṭhira addresses a younger warrior affectionately (“tāta”) and inquires about a particular opponent known for constant rivalry and for attempting to influence others by offering a magnificent golden chariot. He asks whether that opponent has been killed by the addressee in the fighting.