यदा द्रक्ष्यसि मां कृष्ण निहतं सव्यसाचिना ॥
पुनश् चितिस् तदा चास्य यज्ञस्याथ भविष्यति ॥
दुःशासनस्य रुधिरं यदा पास्यति पाण्डवः ॥
आनर्दं नर्दतः सम्यक् तदा सुत्यं भविष्यति ॥
यदा द्रोणं च भीष्मं च पाञ्चाल्यौ पातयिष्यतः ॥
तदा यज्ञावसानं तद् भविष्यति जनार्दन ॥
दुर्योधनं यदा हन्ता भीमसेनो महाबलः ॥
तदा समाप्स्यते यज्ञो धार्तराष्ट्रस्य माधव ॥
स्नुषाश् च प्रस्नुषाश् चैव धृतराष्ट्रस्य संगताः ॥
हतेश्वरा हतसुता हतनाथाश् च केशव ॥
yadā drakṣyasi māṃ kṛṣṇa nihataṃ savyasācinā ||
punaś citis tadā cāsya yajñasyātha bhaviṣyati ||
duḥśāsanasya rudhiraṃ yadā pāsyati pāṇḍavaḥ ||
ānardaṃ nardataḥ samyak tadā sutyaṃ bhaviṣyati ||
yadā droṇaṃ ca bhīṣmaṃ ca pāñcālyau pātayiṣyataḥ ||
tadā yajñāvasānaṃ tad bhaviṣyati janārdana ||
duryodhanaṃ yadā hantā bhīmaseno mahābalaḥ ||
tadā samāpsyate yajño dhārtarāṣṭrasya mādhava ||
snuṣāś ca prasnuṣāś caiva dhṛtarāṣṭrasya saṃgatāḥ ||
hateśvarā hatasutā hatanāthāś ca keśava ||
"When you see me, O Krishna, slain by Savyasachin, then once more the pyre of this sacrifice will be raised. When the Pandava drinks the blood of the roaring Duhshasana with a joyous cry, then it will be the pressing of soma. When the two Panchalas bring down Drona and Bhishma, then, O Janardana, that will be the end of this sacrifice. When mighty Bhimasena slays Duryodhana, then, O Madhava, the sacrifice of the son of Dhritarashtra will be completed. And the daughters-in-law and the wives of the grandsons of Dhritarashtra, gathered together, bereft of husbands, bereft of sons, bereft of protectors, O Keshava..."
ef1aa0b97e57 · 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.