Shloka 17
अर्जुनकर्णसंनिपातवर्णनम् / The Convergence of Arjuna and Karṇa
तस्यायमगमत् कालकश्रिन्तयानस्य मे चिरम् । कथं कर्णो मया शकयो युद्धे क्षपयितुं भवेत्,मैं कर्णको युद्धमें कैसे मार सकता हूँ, यही सोचते हुए मेरा यह दीर्घकाल व्यतीत हुआ है
tasyāyam agamat kālaś cintayānasya me ciram | kathaṁ karṇo mayā śakyo yuddhe kṣapayituṁ bhavet ||
‘میں جنگ میں کرن کو کیسے ہلاک کر سکوں گا؟’—اسی فکر میں ڈوبا ہوا میرا بہت سا زمانہ گزر گیا۔
युधिषछ्िर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the inner conflict of a dharmic ruler: even in a righteous war, the act of killing a formidable opponent weighs heavily on conscience. It frames warfare not as mere victory-seeking but as a duty undertaken with moral hesitation, self-scrutiny, and awareness of consequences.
Yudhiṣṭhira speaks about the long period he has spent in anxious contemplation, repeatedly asking himself how he could possibly defeat and destroy Karṇa in battle—indicating both Karṇa’s feared prowess and Yudhiṣṭhira’s troubled mind before or amid the climactic confrontations of the Karṇa Parva.