विनष्टैः पाण्डवेयैश् च सशैलवनकाननाम् ॥
वसुंधराम् इमां कर्ण भोक्ष्यामो हतकण्टकाम् ॥
दैवेनोपहतः पार्थो विपरीतश् च मानद ॥
कार्याकार्यम् अजानन् वै प्रतिज्ञां कृतवान् रणे ॥
नूनम् आत्मविनाशाय पाण्डवेन किरीटिना ॥
प्रतिज्ञेयं कृता कर्ण जयद्रथवधं प्रति ॥
vinaṣṭaiḥ pāṇḍaveyaiś ca saśailavanakānanām ||
vasuṃdharām imāṃ karṇa bhokṣyāmo hatakaṇṭakām ||
daivenopahataḥ pārtho viparītaś ca mānada ||
kāryākāryam ajānan vai pratijñāṃ kṛtavān raṇe ||
nūnam ātmavināśāya pāṇḍavena kirīṭinā ||
pratijñeyaṃ kṛtā karṇa jayadrathavadhaṃ prati ||
"And once the Pandavas have perished, this earth, with its mountains, forests, and groves, we shall enjoy, Karna, once its thorn is pulled out. Partha, struck by fate and deranged, O giver of honor, not distinguishing what should and should not be done, made a vow in battle. Surely this vow, made by the Pandava, the Diademed One, concerning the slaying of Jayadratha, was made to his own destruction, Karna."
1aff677aa3ee · published Jul 19, 2026, 4:25:13 PM UTC
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Duryodhana dreams of enjoying the earth "with the thorn removed" — a fantasy of dominion clouds his mind. It is telling that he takes Arjuna's vow for recklessness, "a derangement of fate": the unrighteous measures an opponent's resolve by his own shallowness. The verse teaches that one who covets what is another's sees in the firmness of his adversary only folly; and he who mistakes a deliberate vow for suicidal daring deceives himself with his own wish for the other's downfall.