Shloka 55
उद्योगपर्व — अध्याय १४० (कृष्णेन कर्णं प्रति पाण्डवबल-वैशिष्ट्यप्रदर्शनम्) / Udyoga Parva, Chapter 140
Krishna’s appraisal of Pandava advantage and war portents
यावत् स्थास्यन्ति गिरय: सरितश्न जनार्दन । तावत् कीर्तिभव: शब्द: शाश्वतो5यं भविष्यति
yāvat sthāsyanti girayaḥ saritaś ca janārdana | tāvat kīrtibhavaḥ śabdaḥ śāśvato 'yaṃ bhaviṣyati ||
اے جناردن! جب تک پہاڑ قائم رہیں گے اور ندیاں بہتی رہیں گی، تب تک شہرت سے جنم لینے والی یہ صدا—یہ دائمی ناموری—ہمیشہ برقرار رہے گی۔
कर्ण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse elevates kīrti (renown) as a form of lasting legacy: while human life is brief, one’s deeds can generate an enduring ‘śabda’—public remembrance—imagined to last as long as the natural world (mountains and rivers). It reflects the warrior-ethical ideal that actions should be worthy of remembrance, not merely advantageous in the moment.
In Udyoga Parva, amid the tense pre-war negotiations and counsels, Karna addresses Janārdana (Kṛṣṇa). He speaks in the register of heroic resolve, asserting that the fame arising from his stance and deeds will be everlasting—framing his chosen course in terms of honor and reputation before the coming conflict.