कर्ण उवाच
जानाम्य् अहं महाप्राज्ञ सर्वम् एतन् न संशयः ॥
यथा वदसि दुर्धर्ष कौन्तेयो ऽहं न सूतजः ॥
अवकीर्णस् त्व् अहं कुन्त्या सूतेन च विवर्धितः ॥
भुक्त्वा दुर्योधनैश्वर्यं न मिथ्या कर्तुम् उत्सहे ॥
वसु चैव शरीरं च यद् उदारं तथा यशः ॥
सर्वं दुर्योधनस्यार्थे त्यक्तं मे भूरिदक्षिण ॥
कोपिताः पाण्डवा नित्यं मयाश्रित्य सुयोधनम् ॥
अवश्यभावी वै यो ऽर्थो न स शक्यो निवर्तितुम् ॥
दैवं पुरुषकारेण को निवर्तितुम् उत्सहेत् ॥
पृथिवीक्षयशंसीनि निमित्तानि पितामह ॥
भवद्भिर् उपलब्धानि कथितानि च संसदि ॥
पाण्डवा वासुदेवश् च विदिता मम सर्वशः ॥
अजेयाः पुरुषैर् अन्यैर् इति तांश् चोत्सहामहे ॥
अनुजानीष्व मां तात युद्धे प्रीतमनाः सदा ॥
अनुज्ञातस् त्वया वीर युध्येयम् इति मे मतिः ॥
दुरुक्तं विप्रतीपं वा संरम्भाच् चापलात् तथा ॥
यन् मयापकृतं किं चित् तद् अनुक्षन्तुम् अर्हसि ॥
karṇa uvāca
jānāmy ahaṃ mahāprājña sarvam etan na saṃśayaḥ ||
yathā vadasi durdharṣa kaunteyo 'haṃ na sūtajaḥ ||
avakīrṇas tv ahaṃ kuntyā sūtena ca vivardhitaḥ ||
bhuktvā duryodhanaiśvaryaṃ na mithyā kartum utsahe ||
vasu caiva śarīraṃ ca yad udāraṃ tathā yaśaḥ ||
sarvaṃ duryodhanasyārthe tyaktaṃ me bhūridakṣiṇa ||
kopitāḥ pāṇḍavā nityaṃ mayāśritya suyodhanam ||
avaśyabhāvī vai yo 'rtho na sa śakyo nivartitum ||
daivaṃ puruṣakāreṇa ko nivartitum utsahet ||
pṛthivīkṣayaśaṃsīni nimittāni pitāmaha ||
bhavadbhir upalabdhāni kathitāni ca saṃsadi ||
pāṇḍavā vāsudevaś ca viditā mama sarvaśaḥ ||
ajeyāḥ puruṣair anyair iti tāṃś cotsahāmahe ||
anujānīṣva māṃ tāta yuddhe prītamanāḥ sadā ||
anujñātas tvayā vīra yudhyeyam iti me matiḥ ||
duruktaṃ vipratīpaṃ vā saṃrambhāc cāpalāt tathā ||
yan mayāpakṛtaṃ kiṃ cit tad anukṣantum arhasi ||
Karna said: "I know all this, O greatly wise one; there is no doubt. As you say, O unassailable one, I am Kaunteya and not the son of a suta. But I was abandoned by Kunti and raised by a charioteer. Having enjoyed Duryodhana's sovereignty, I cannot render that false. Wealth, body, whatever is noble, and glory - all of this, O generous one, I have given up for Duryodhana's sake. By supporting Suyodhana I have constantly provoked the Pandavas' anger. What must inevitably come to pass cannot be averted; who would dare turn fate back by human effort? The omens foretelling the earth's ruin, O grandsire, were observed by you and declared in the assembly. The Pandavas and Vasudeva are fully known to me: they are unconquerable by other men, and yet we resolve to stand against them. Give me leave, father, to fight, with a heart well disposed toward me. Having received your permission, hero, I shall fight - such is my resolve. If out of vehemence or impetuousness I have spoken anything ill or hostile, or wronged you in any way, you should forgive it."
c5781746c5a5 · published Jul 17, 2026, 10:03:51 PM UTC
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Karna's answer is tragic: he knows the truth, yet chooses loyalty to the duty he has already accepted toward Duryodhana. This is not ignorance but a conscious step toward a fate he already considers unavoidable.