उपलभ्य ततः कर्णो विवृत्य नयने शुभे ॥
रोषाद् दुःशासनं चैव सौबलेयं च ताव् उभौ ॥
उवाच परमक्रुद्ध उद्यम्यात्मानम् आत्मना ॥
अहो मम मतं यत् तन् निबोधत नराधिपाः ॥
प्रियं सर्वे चिकीर्षामो राज्ञः किंकरपाणयः ॥
न चास्य शक्नुमः सर्वे प्रिये स्थातुम् अतन्द्रिताः ॥
वयं तु शस्त्राण्य् आदाय रथान् आस्थाय दंशिताः ॥
गच्छामः सहिता हन्तुं पाण्डवान् वनगोचरान् ॥
तेषु सर्वेषु शान्तेषु गतेष्व् अविदितां गतिम् ॥
निर्विवादा भविष्यन्ति धार्तराष्ट्रास् तथा वयम् ॥
यावद् एव परिद्यूना यावच् छोकपरायणाः ॥
यावन् मित्रविहीनाश् च तावच् छक्या मतं मम ॥
तस्य तद् वचनं श्रुत्वा पूजयन्तः पुनः पुनः ॥
बाढम् इत्य् एव ते सर्वे प्रत्यूचुः सूतजं तदा ॥
एवम् उक्त्वा तु संक्रुद्धा रथैः सर्वे पृथक् पृथक् ॥
निर्ययुः पाण्डवान् हन्तुं संघशः कृतनिश्चयाः ॥
upalabhya tataḥ karṇo vivṛtya nayane śubhe ||
roṣād duḥśāsanaṃ caiva saubaleyaṃ ca tāv ubhau ||
uvāca paramakruddha udyamyātmānam ātmanā ||
aho mama mataṃ yat tan nibodhata narādhipāḥ ||
priyaṃ sarve cikīrṣāmo rājñaḥ kiṃkarapāṇayaḥ ||
na cāsya śaknumaḥ sarve priye sthātum atandritāḥ ||
vayaṃ tu śastrāṇy ādāya rathān āsthāya daṃśitāḥ ||
gacchāmaḥ sahitā hantuṃ pāṇḍavān vanagocarān ||
teṣu sarveṣu śānteṣu gateṣv aviditāṃ gatim ||
nirvivādā bhaviṣyanti dhārtarāṣṭrās tathā vayam ||
yāvad eva paridyūnā yāvac chokaparāyaṇāḥ ||
yāvan mitravihīnāś ca tāvac chakyā mataṃ mama ||
tasya tad vacanaṃ śrutvā pūjayantaḥ punaḥ punaḥ ||
bāḍham ity eva te sarve pratyūcuḥ sūtajaṃ tadā ||
evam uktvā tu saṃkruddhā rathaiḥ sarve pṛthak pṛthak ||
niryayuḥ pāṇḍavān hantuṃ saṃghaśaḥ kṛtaniścayāḥ ||
Then Karna, opening wide his beautiful eyes, turned in anger to Duhshasana and the son of Subala: "Hear my design, O rulers. We all wish to please the king and stand with hands ready to serve, yet we cannot remain tirelessly devoted to what pleases him. Let us take up our weapons, mount our chariots, don our armor, and go together to kill the Pandavas, who dwell in the forest. When all of them are subdued and have gone by an unknown path, the sons of Dhritarashtra and we shall be free of dispute. While they are exhausted, while overcome with grief and bereft of friends, they can be overcome — such is my opinion." Hearing this word, all of them praised the charioteer's son again and again and answered: "Yes, exactly so." Having said this, enraged, they each rode out separately on their chariots, firmly resolved to kill the Pandavas together.
8c5c24ec1b24 · published Jul 16, 2026, 4:33:28 PM UTC
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Karna proposes to strike those who are already destitute. This is not heroism but fear dressed up as resolve. Strength unbound by dharma seeks out another's moment of weakness, and in doing so reveals its own inner weakness.