Shloka 31
धर्मरहस्योपदेशः
Dharma-rahasya Instruction: Vows, Truth, and Non-injury
हन्ताहमर्जुनं संख्ये मां वा हन्याद् धनंजय: । युद्धे मन: समाधाय याहि यत्र वृकोदर:,उनके ऐसा कहनेपर कर्णने शल्यसे फिर कहा--“मद्रराज! मैं युद्धमें अर्जुनको मारूँ या अर्जुन ही मुझे मार डालें। इस उद्देश्यसे युद्धमें मन लगाकर जहाँ भीमसेन हैं, उधर ही चलो”
hantāham arjunaṃ saṅkhye māṃ vā hanyād dhanañjayaḥ | yuddhe manaḥ samādhāya yāhi yatra vṛkodaraḥ ||
Sañjaya nói: “Hoặc ta sẽ hạ Arjuna giữa trận tiền, hoặc Dhanañjaya (Arjuna) sẽ hạ ta. Với tâm trí kiên định đặt vào cuộc chiến và gắn chặt vào lời quyết ấy, hãy đi—đánh xe đến nơi Vṛkodara (Bhīma) đang ở.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the warrior ethic of steadfast resolve: one enters battle accepting the twofold possibility—victory or death—while keeping the mind concentrated on the chosen duty. It underscores agency (firm intention) within uncertainty (the opponent may prevail), a recurring Mahābhārata tension between resolve and fate.
In the Karṇa Parva battle sequence, the speaker reports a combatant’s determination regarding Arjuna—either to kill him or be killed by him—and urges the charioteer/ally to drive toward the location of Vṛkodara (Bhīma), indicating a tactical movement toward a key front where Bhīma is engaged.