ताव् उद्यतमहाचापौ कृपः शारद्वतो ऽब्रवीत् ॥
द्वन्द्वयुद्धसमाचारे कुशलः सर्वधर्मवित् ॥
अयं पृथायास् तनयः कनीयान् पाण्डुनन्दनः ॥
कौरवो भवता सार्धं द्वन्द्वयुद्धं करिष्यति ॥
त्वम् अप्य् एवं महाबाहो मातरं पितरं कुलम् ॥
कथयस्व नरेन्द्राणां येषां त्वं कुलवर्धनः ॥
ततो विदित्वा पार्थस् त्वां प्रतियोत्स्यति वा न वा ॥
एवम् उक्तस्य कर्णस्य व्रीडावनतम् आननम् ॥
बभौ वर्षाम्बुभिः क्लिन्नं पद्मम् आगलितं यथा ॥
tāv udyatamahācāpau kṛpaḥ śāradvato 'bravīt ||
dvandvayuddhasamācāre kuśalaḥ sarvadharmavit ||
ayaṃ pṛthāyās tanayaḥ kanīyān pāṇḍunandanaḥ ||
kauravo bhavatā sārdhaṃ dvandvayuddhaṃ kariṣyati ||
tvam apy evaṃ mahābāho mātaraṃ pitaraṃ kulam ||
kathayasva narendrāṇāṃ yeṣāṃ tvaṃ kulavardhanaḥ ||
tato viditvā pārthas tvāṃ pratiyotsyati vā na vā ||
evam uktasya karṇasya vrīḍāvanatam ānanam ||
babhau varṣāmbubhiḥ klinnaṃ padmam āgalitaṃ yathā ||
"To those two, bows raised high, Kripa, son of Sharadvat, skilled in the rules of single combat and knower of all dharma, said: 'This is the younger son of Pritha, the delight of Pandu, a Kaurava — he will fight you in single combat; and you too, O mighty-armed one, declare your mother, your father, your lineage — of what kings you are the continuer of the line; then, knowing that, Partha will fight you or not.' Karna, thus questioned, his face bowed down with shame, became like a drooping lotus drenched by rainwater."
1deed5840d16 · प्रकाशित 12 जुल॰ 2026, 4:53:32 pm UTC
उपलब्ध भाषाएँRUENश्लोक बदलें इन कुंजियों से
Here Karna is humbled by the demand to declare his lineage — and in this the cruelty of caste pride lies bare. It is significant that the rule of single combat ('only equal fights equal') is turned into an instrument of humiliation: the unknown Karna is refused battle not for lack of valor but for want of a known lineage. Here an injustice darkens even the custom itself: valor shown before all should decide, not genealogy. Significant too is Karna's silent suffering — 'drooping, like a drenched lotus': the great warrior, who had just been shining, is felled by a single question about his origin. It is clear that humiliation by birth wounds deeper than defeat in battle, and the compassion of the text plainly sides with the humiliated one. Thus is prepared Duryodhana's act, which — however calculated — will lift up the fallen one, and thereby bind him forever.