Mahabharata — Karna Parva, Shloka 40
प्रयाहि वृद्धिं च दिशन्तु देवता यथाहमिच्छामि तवास्तु तत् तथा | प्रयाहि शीघ्रं जहि कर्णमाहवे पुरंदरो वृत्रमिवात्मवृद्धये
prayāhi vṛddhiṃ ca diśantu devatā yathāham icchāmi tavāstu tat tathā | prayāhi śīghraṃ jahi karṇam āhave puraṃdaro vṛtram ivātmavṛddhaye ||
Sabi ni Sanjaya: “Humayo ka; nawa’y ipagkaloob ng mga diyos ang pag-unlad at kasaganaan sa iyo. Nawa’y mangyari sa iyo ang lahat ng ninanais ko para sa iyo. Sumulong ka nang madali at patayin si Karṇa sa digmaan—gaya ni Indra, ang Purandara, na pumatay kay Vṛtra upang mapalago ang sarili niyang paghahari.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames battlefield action through a divine precedent: victory is urged not merely as personal prowess but as a sanctioned, goal-oriented act. At the same time, the comparison to Indra killing Vṛtra ‘for his own increase’ highlights the moral tension in war—how appeals to divine models can be used to justify violence and political advantage.
Sañjaya delivers an exhortation to advance swiftly and kill Karṇa in battle, blessing the addressee with divine favor and success. He reinforces the urgency and legitimacy of the act by invoking the mythic example of Indra (Puraṃdara) slaying Vṛtra to secure and expand his own sovereignty.