कर्णो लोकानयं मुख्यानाप्रोतु पुरुषर्षभ: । कर्णो वैकर्तन: शूरो विजयस्त्वस्तु कृष्णयो:,'शूरवीर पुरुषप्रवर वैकर्तन कर्ण श्रेष्ठ लोक प्राप्त करे; परंतु विजय तो श्रीकृष्ण और अर्जुनकी ही हो
sañjaya uvāca |
karṇo lokān ayaṃ mukhyān āprotu puruṣarṣabhaḥ |
karṇo vaikartanaḥ śūro vijayas tv astu kṛṣṇayoḥ ||
Sañjaya nói: “Hỡi bậc trượng phu kiệt xuất, nguyện cho Karṇa—Vaikartana, dũng sĩ ấy—được đến những cõi tối thượng. Nhưng xin cho chiến thắng thuộc về Kṛṣṇa và Arjuna.”
संजय उवाच
The verse distinguishes between personal valor and the ultimate moral outcome: Karṇa may deserve exalted realms for his bravery, yet victory is affirmed for Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna, implying that dharma-aligned forces prevail even when opponents are individually heroic.
Sañjaya, narrating the battlefield events to Dhṛtarāṣṭra, voices a reflective judgment: he honors Karṇa’s heroism and possible posthumous reward, but declares that the decisive triumph in the war will belong to Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna.