वासुदेव उवाच
दुःषासनश् च कर्णश् च शकुनिश् च ससैन्धवः ॥
सततं मन्त्रयन्ति स्म दुर्योधनपुरोगमाः ॥
कर्ण कर्ण महेष्वास रणे ऽमितपराक्रम ॥
नान्यस्य शक्तिर् एषा ते मोक्तव्या जयतां वर ॥
ऋते महारथात् पार्थात् कुन्तीपुत्राद् धनंजयात् ॥
स हि तेषाम् अतियशा देवानाम् इव वासवः ॥
तस्मिन् विनिहते सर्वे पाण्डवाः सृञ्जयैः सह ॥
भविष्यन्ति गतात्मानः सुरा इव निरग्नयः ॥
vāsudeva uvāca
duḥṣāsanaś ca karṇaś ca śakuniś ca sasaindhavaḥ ||
satataṃ mantrayanti sma duryodhanapurogamāḥ ||
karṇa karṇa maheṣvāsa raṇe 'mitaparākrama ||
nānyasya śaktir eṣā te moktavyā jayatāṃ vara ||
ṛte mahārathāt pārthāt kuntīputrād dhanaṃjayāt ||
sa hi teṣām atiyaśā devānām iva vāsavaḥ ||
tasmin vinihate sarve pāṇḍavāḥ sṛñjayaiḥ saha ||
bhaviṣyanti gatātmānaḥ surā iva niragnayaḥ ||
"Duhshasana and Karna, and Shakuni with Saindhava [Jayadratha], kept counseling constantly, with Duryodhana at the head: 'Karna, Karna, great archer, boundlessly valorous in battle, let this dart of yours not go to another; loose it, O best of conquerors, at none but the great warrior Partha, the son of Kunti, Dhananjaya. For he is the most glorious among them, as Vasava among the gods; when he is slain, all the Pandavas together with the Srinjayas will become as if bereft of spirit, like gods without sacrificial fire.'"
f9fcf7d80375 · published Jul 19, 2026, 4:58:11 PM UTC
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Krishna relays the compact of the Kurus: the dart is for Arjuna alone, for he is the soul of the Pandavas, without whom all become "like gods without sacrificial fire." It is telling that even the enemy truly senses where the heart of their opponents lies. The verse teaches that every alliance has a center from which its strength flows; the enemy aims at it — but one who perceives that center must guard it above all else, as Krishna himself guarded Arjuna.