Shloka 52
युधिष्ठिरस्य धनंजय-प्रति गर्हा
Yudhiṣṭhira’s Reproach to Dhanaṃjaya
पवित्रीकर्तुमात्मानं स्कन्धे संस्पृश्य पाणिना । ग्रहीतुमिच्छन् स बलात् कुन्तीवाक्यं च सो5स्मरत्
pavitrīkartuṃ ātmānaṃ skandhe saṃspṛśya pāṇinā | grahītum icchan sa balāt kuntīvākyaṃ ca so 'smarat ||
Sañjaya nói: Chạm tay lên vai (Yudhiṣṭhira) như để tự thanh tẩy, Karṇa—đang toan dùng sức bắt lấy—bỗng nhớ đến lời hứa đã trao với Hoàng hậu Kuntī. Trong khoảnh khắc ấy, thôi thúc bắt kẻ thù va chạm với sự tự chế của đạo lý sinh ra từ lời thề đã lập.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even amid violent conflict, a pledged word (satya and pratijñā) exerts moral force: Karṇa’s remembrance of his promise to Kuntī restrains or complicates his immediate martial impulse, showing how dharma operates through personal commitments.
Karṇa pursues Yudhiṣṭhira and reaches close enough to touch his shoulder, intending to seize him forcibly; at that very moment he recalls the assurance he had given to Kuntī, creating a tension between battlefield advantage and fidelity to his vow.