Shloka 18
अद्यार्जुनं सगोविन्दं मानिनं च वृकोदरम् । हन्यां शिष्टांस्तथा शत्रून् कर्णस्यानृण्यमाप्नुयाम्
adyārjunaṁ sagovindaṁ māninaṁ ca vṛkodaram | hanyāṁ śiṣṭāṁs tathā śatrūn karṇasyānṛṇyam āpnuyām ||
Sañjaya nói: “Hôm nay ta sẽ giết Arjuna cùng với Govinda (Krishna), và cả Vṛkodara (Bhima) kiêu ngạo ấy, cùng mọi kẻ thù còn lại; chỉ khi đó ta mới có thể thoát khỏi món nợ ân tình đối với Karna.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the powerful pull of ṛṇa (debt/obligation) and loyalty in a warrior ethos: the speaker frames extreme violence as a means to become “debt-free” to Karna, showing how personal obligation can override broader ethical restraint and intensify the drive for total victory.
In the midst of the Kurukṣetra war, Sanjaya reports a vow-like resolve: to kill Arjuna along with Krishna, and also Bhima and the remaining foes, claiming that only by such decisive slaughter could one repay or discharge what is owed to Karna.