कर्ण उवाच
ब्रवीषि वाचा यत् पार्थ कर्मणा तत् समाचर ॥
अतिशेते हि वै वाचं कर्मेति प्रथितं भुवि ॥
यत् त्वया मर्षितं पूर्वं तद् अशक्तेन मर्षितम् ॥
इति गृह्णामि तत् पार्थ तव दृष्ट्वापराक्रमम् ॥
धर्मपाशनिबद्धेन यदि ते मर्षितं पुरा ॥
तथैव बद्धम् आत्मानम् अबद्धम् इव मन्यसे ॥
यदि तावद् वने वासो यथोक्तश् चरितस् त्वया ॥
तत् त्वं धर्मार्थवित् क्लिष्टः समयं भेत्तुम् इच्छसि ॥
यदि शक्रः स्वयं पार्थ युध्यते तव कारणात् ॥
तथापि न व्यथा का चिन् मम स्याद् विक्रमिष्यतः ॥
अयं कौन्तेय कामस् ते नचिरात् समुपस्थितः ॥
योत्स्यसे त्वं मया सार्धम् अद्य द्रक्ष्यसि मे बलम् ॥
अर्जुन उवाच
इदानीम् एव तावत् त्वम् अपयातो रणान् मम ॥
तेन जीवसि राधेय निहतस् त्व् अनुजस् तव ॥
भ्रातरं घातयित्वा च त्यक्त्वा रणशिरश् च कः ॥
त्वद् अन्यः पुरुषः सत्सु ब्रूयाद् एवं व्यवस्थितः ॥
karṇa uvāca
bravīṣi vācā yat pārtha karmaṇā tat samācara ||
atiśete hi vai vācaṃ karmeti prathitaṃ bhuvi ||
yat tvayā marṣitaṃ pūrvaṃ tad aśaktena marṣitam ||
iti gṛhṇāmi tat pārtha tava dṛṣṭvāparākramam ||
dharmapāśanibaddhena yadi te marṣitaṃ purā ||
tathaiva baddham ātmānam abaddham iva manyase ||
yadi tāvad vane vāso yathoktaś caritas tvayā ||
tat tvaṃ dharmārthavit kliṣṭaḥ samayaṃ bhettum icchasi ||
yadi śakraḥ svayaṃ pārtha yudhyate tava kāraṇāt ||
tathāpi na vyathā kā cin mama syād vikramiṣyataḥ ||
ayaṃ kaunteya kāmas te nacirāt samupasthitaḥ ||
yotsyase tvaṃ mayā sārdham adya drakṣyasi me balam ||
arjuna uvāca
idānīm eva tāvat tvam apayāto raṇān mama ||
tena jīvasi rādheya nihatas tv anujas tava ||
bhrātaraṃ ghātayitvā ca tyaktvā raṇaśiraś ca kaḥ ||
tvad anyaḥ puruṣaḥ satsu brūyād evaṃ vyavasthitaḥ ||
Karna said: 'Make into deed what you say in words; deed surpasses speech. Before, you endured not because of dharma but because you were powerless. If you are bound by dharma, why do you consider yourself free? If your term of forest dwelling is over, you are breaking the pact. Even if Indra himself were to fight for you, I would not waver. You have desired battle with me — it is near. Today you will see my strength.' Arjuna answered: 'You have only just retreated from my battle and are alive because you fled. Your younger brother is slain. Who, besides you, would speak this way after his brother's death and after abandoning the battlefield?'
9bf6738be032 · published Jul 16, 2026, 6:42:56 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
Karna answers with the same force of speech, but Arjuna brings the exchange back to facts. In this scene, a word is tested not by its beauty but by action sustained.