तासु पुत्राश् च पौत्राश् च मम जाता जनार्दन ॥
तासु मे हृदयं कृष्ण संजातं कामबन्धनम् ॥
न पृथिव्या सकलया न सुवर्णस्य राशिभिः ॥
हर्षाद् भयाद् वा गोविन्द अनृतं वक्तुम् उत्सहे ॥
धृतराष्ट्रकुले कृष्ण दुर्योधनसमाश्रयात् ॥
मया त्रयोदश समा भुक्तं राज्यम् अकण्टकम् ॥
इष्टं च बहुभिर् यज्ञैः सह सूतैर् मयासकृत् ॥
आवाहाश् च विवाहाश् च सह सूतैः कृता मया ॥
मां च कृष्ण समाश्रित्य कृतः शस्त्रसमुद्यमः ॥
दुर्योधनेन वार्ष्णेय विग्रहश् चापि पाण्डवैः ॥
tāsu putrāś ca pautrāś ca mama jātā janārdana ||
tāsu me hṛdayaṃ kṛṣṇa saṃjātaṃ kāmabandhanam ||
na pṛthivyā sakalayā na suvarṇasya rāśibhiḥ ||
harṣād bhayād vā govinda anṛtaṃ vaktum utsahe ||
dhṛtarāṣṭrakule kṛṣṇa duryodhanasamāśrayāt ||
mayā trayodaśa samā bhuktaṃ rājyam akaṇṭakam ||
iṣṭaṃ ca bahubhir yajñaiḥ saha sūtair mayāsakṛt ||
āvāhāś ca vivāhāś ca saha sūtaiḥ kṛtā mayā ||
māṃ ca kṛṣṇa samāśritya kṛtaḥ śastrasamudyamaḥ ||
duryodhanena vārṣṇeya vigrahaś cāpi pāṇḍavaiḥ ||
"From them sons and grandsons were born to me, O Janardana; to them, O Krishna, my heart is bound by ties of love. Not for the whole earth, not for heaps of gold, not out of joy, not out of fear, O Govinda, can I bring myself to speak an untruth. In the house of Dhritarashtra, through the patronage of Duryodhana, I enjoyed royal power unhindered for thirteen years. Together with the sutas I performed many sacrifices time and again; together with the sutas I arranged marriages and wedding rites. Relying on me, O Krishna, Duryodhana took up arms and entered into enmity with the Pandavas, O descendant of Vrishni."
9ccf564904f8 · published Jul 17, 2026, 5:59:56 AM UTC
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Karna speaks from within a complex dharma: he acknowledges the truth Krishna has revealed, yet does not set aside his debt of gratitude to those who raised and sustained him. His image of the war as a sacrifice shows that the battle is already being lived by him as an inevitable, sacred and terrible reckoning for choices made long ago.