अर्जुनेन समं युद्धं मम यौधिष्ठिरे बले ॥
अर्जुनं हि निहत्याजौ संप्राप्तं स्यात् फलं मया ॥
यशसा चापि युज्येयं निहतः सव्यसाचिना ॥
न ते जातु नशिष्यन्ति पुत्राः पञ्च यशस्विनि ॥
निरर्जुनाः सकर्णा वा सार्जुना वा हते मयि ॥
वैशंपायन उवाच
इति कर्णवचः श्रुत्वा कुन्ती दुःखात् प्रवेपती ॥
उवाच पुत्रम् आश्लिष्य कर्णं धैर्याद् अकम्पितम् ॥
एवं वै भाव्यम् एतेन क्षयं यास्यन्ति कौरवाः ॥
यथा त्वं भाषसे कर्ण दैवं तु बलवत्तरम् ॥
त्वया चतुर्णां भ्रातॄणाम् अभयं शत्रुकर्शन ॥
दत्तं तत् प्रतिजानीहि संगरप्रतिमोचनम् ॥
arjunena samaṃ yuddhaṃ mama yaudhiṣṭhire bale ||
arjunaṃ hi nihatyājau saṃprāptaṃ syāt phalaṃ mayā ||
yaśasā cāpi yujyeyaṃ nihataḥ savyasācinā ||
na te jātu naśiṣyanti putrāḥ pañca yaśasvini ||
nirarjunāḥ sakarṇā vā sārjunā vā hate mayi ||
vaiśaṃpāyana uvāca
iti karṇavacaḥ śrutvā kuntī duḥkhāt pravepatī ||
uvāca putram āśliṣya karṇaṃ dhairyād akampitam ||
evaṃ vai bhāvyam etena kṣayaṃ yāsyanti kauravāḥ ||
yathā tvaṃ bhāṣase karṇa daivaṃ tu balavattaram ||
tvayā caturṇāṃ bhrātṝṇām abhayaṃ śatrukarśana ||
dattaṃ tat pratijānīhi saṃgarapratimocanam ||
‘My battle in Yudhishthira’s army will be equal only with Arjuna. If I slay Arjuna in combat, the fruit will be attained by me; and if I am slain by Savyasachin, I shall be joined with glory. O glorious lady, your five sons will never perish: either without Arjuna, but with Karna, or with Arjuna, if I am slain.’ Vaishampayana said: Having heard Karna’s words, Kunti, trembling from sorrow, embraced her son, unshaken in his steadfastness, and said: ‘So it must be, as you say, O Karna: the Kauravas will go to their ruin; fate is indeed stronger. You have given safety to the four brothers, O tormentor of foes; confirm that promise, which releases you from the vow of battle.’
c26ed5f21a6c · published Jul 17, 2026, 6:17:17 AM UTC
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Karna acknowledges the truth spoken by Kunti and the Sun, but chooses loyalty to those who took him in. His dharma here is tragic: he does not go over to his brothers, yet he gives his mother a genuine promise of mercy, sparing four of the Pandavas from his hand.