कर्णनिधनवृत्तान्तनिवेदनम् | Reporting Karṇa’s Fall to Yudhiṣṭhira
तस्माद् भवान् परं धर्म वेद सर्व यथातथम् । तीनों लोकोंमें कहीं कोई भी ऐसी बात नहीं है जो आपको विदित न हो; अत: आप ही परम धर्मको सम्पूर्ण और यथार्थरूपसे जानते हैं ।।
tasmād bhavān paraṃ dharma veda sarvaṃ yathātatham | avadhyaṃ pāṇḍavaṃ manye dharmarājaṃ yudhiṣṭhiram |
Arjuna thưa: “Vì thế, Ngài biết Đạo (Dharma) tối thượng—mọi điều đúng như thật. Con cho rằng vị Pāṇḍava, vua Yudhiṣṭhira, bậc Dharmarāja, không đáng bị giết. Vậy xin Ngài thương chỉ cho con một con đường ân huệ để con giữ trọn lời thệ mà không phạm tội giết chính anh em của mình.”
अर्जुन उवाच
Even in war, dharma is not merely victory-oriented: Arjuna frames a moral limit—his elder brother Yudhiṣṭhira is ‘avadhya’ (not to be slain)—and seeks a way to honor a vow without violating higher ethical duties such as reverence for elders and avoidance of grievous sin.
In the Karṇa Parva context, Arjuna addresses a revered authority (implicitly Kṛṣṇa as charioteer and guide), acknowledging his complete knowledge of dharma, and asks for guidance: he has a mental resolve/vow but refuses to treat Yudhiṣṭhira as a legitimate target, requesting a solution that preserves his pledge without killing his brother.