Shloka 147
आदि पर्व, अध्याय 67 — गान्धर्वविवाह-समयः
Duḥṣanta–Śakuntalā: Gandharva Marriage and Succession Condition
पुरा नाम च तस्यासीद् वसुषेण इति क्षितौ । ततो वैकर्तन: कर्ण: कर्मणा तेन सो5भवत्,पहले कर्णका नाम इस पृथ्वीपर वसुषेण था। फिर कवच और कुण्डल काटनेके कारण वह वैकर्तन नामसे प्रसिद्ध हुआ
purā nāma ca tasyāsīd vasuṣeṇa iti kṣitau | tato vaikartanaḥ karṇaḥ karmaṇā tena so 'bhavat ||
پہلے اس زمین پر اس کا نام وَسوشَیْن تھا۔ پھر اسی عمل کے سبب— زرہ اور کنڈل کاٹ کر دینے کی وجہ سے— کرن ‘وَیکرتن’ کے لقب سے مشہور ہوا۔
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
A person’s identity in society is often shaped by decisive actions (karma). Here, Karna’s later epithet ‘Vaikartana’ memorializes a morally weighty deed—cutting away his innate armor and earrings—showing how reputation becomes inseparable from action and its ethical implications.
Vaiśampāyana explains Karna’s naming: he was earlier called Vasuṣeṇa, and later became प्रसिद्ध as ‘Vaikartana’ because he cut off his kavaca and kuṇḍalas—an act that became defining enough to rename him.