Narada Tells of Karna's Rise and Fall

Verse 1 (12.5.1)

आविष्कृतबलं कर्णं दृष्ट्वा राजा स मागधः । आह्वयद्द्वैरथेनाजौ जरासन्धो महीपतिः ॥

āviṣkṛtabalaṃ karṇaṃ dṛṣṭvā rājā sa māgadhaḥ | āhvayaddvairathenājau jarāsandho mahīpatiḥ

Narada said: Seeing that Karna had shown his strength, Jarasandha, the king of Magadha, lord of the earth, challenged him to a duel of chariots in the battle.

Note on the text: Corrected आदित्कृतबलं → आविष्कृतबलं (misprint in Wikisource; आदित् is not a word here, CE āviṣkṛtabalaṃ). राजा स मागधः (CE rājā tu māgadhaḥ) is a recension variant, kept.

Verse 2 (12.5.2)

तयोः समभवद्युद्धं दिव्यास्त्रविदुषोर्द्वयोः । युधि नानाप्रहरणैरन्योन्यमभिवर्षतोः ॥

tayoḥ samabhavadyuddhaṃ divyāstraviduṣordvayoḥ | yudhi nānāpraharaṇairanyonyamabhivarṣatoḥ

The two of them, both masters of divine weapons, joined in combat, showering one another in the fight with weapons of every kind.

Verse 3 (12.5.3)

क्षीणबाणौ विधनुषौ भग्नखड्गौ महीं गतौ । बाहुभिः समसज्जेतामुभावतिबलान्वितौ ॥

kṣīṇabāṇau vidhanuṣau bhagnakhaḍgau mahīṃ gatau | bāhubhiḥ samasajjetāmubhāvatibalānvitau

When their arrows were spent, their bows and swords broken, the two came down to the ground, and, both exceedingly strong, they closed with each other, arm against arm.

Note on the text: Corrected भग्नखङ्गौ → भग्नखड्गौ (misprint in Wikisource; खड्ग, CE bhagnakhaḍgau). उभावतिबलान्वितौ (CE ubhāv api balānvitau) is a recension variant, kept.

Verse 4 (12.5.4)

बाहुकण्टकयुद्धेन तस्य कर्णोऽथ युध्यतः । बिभेद संधिं देहस्य जरया श्लेषितस्य हि ॥

bāhukaṇṭakayuddhena tasya karṇo'tha yudhyataḥ | bibheda saṃdhiṃ dehasya jarayā śleṣitasya hi

In that grappling fight, called the arm-thorn, as Jarasandha fought on, Karna broke the joint of his body, which Jara had once joined together.

Note on the text: Removed the square brackets Wikisource prints around line 1 and the stray extra daṇḍa after them; the line is CE 12.5.4a (bāhukaṇṭakayuddhena tasya karṇo 'tha yudhyataḥ), which the CE does not bracket. Corrected विभेदं → बिभेद (misprint in Wikisource: a stray anusvāra and व for ब; the verb is needed here, CE bibheda).

Verse 5 (12.5.5)

स विकारं शरीरस्य दृष्ट्वा नृपतिरात्मनः । प्रीतोऽस्मीत्यब्रवीत्कर्णं वैरमुत्सृज्य दूरतः ॥

sa vikāraṃ śarīrasya dṛṣṭvā nṛpatirātmanaḥ | prīto'smītyabravītkarṇaṃ vairamutsṛjya dūrataḥ

Seeing the rent in his own body, the king put his enmity far away and said to Karna, ‘I am pleased.’

Verse 6 (12.5.6)

प्रीत्या ददौ स कर्णाय मालिनीं नगरीमनु । अङ्गेषु नरशार्दूल स राजाऽऽसीत्सपत्नजित् ॥

prītyā dadau sa karṇāya mālinīṃ nagarīmanu | aṅgeṣu naraśārdūla sa rājā''sītsapatnajit

In his affection he gave Karna the city of Malini; and Karna, O tiger among men, conqueror of his rivals, became king among the Angas.

Verse 7 (12.5.7)

पालयामास वर्णांस्तु कर्णः परबलार्दनः । दुर्योधनस्यानुमते तवापि विदितं तथा ॥

pālayāmāsa varṇāṃstu karṇaḥ parabalārdanaḥ | duryodhanasyānumate tavāpi viditaṃ tathā

Karna, crusher of hostile armies, protected the people there with Duryodhana's approval, as you too know.

Note on the text: Recension variant, kept: वर्णांस्तु against CE campāṃ tu (the page's own note cites 'पालयामास चम्पां च' as a manuscript reading).

Verse 8 (12.5.8)

एवं शस्त्रप्रतापेन प्रथितः सोऽभवत्क्षितौ । त्वद्धितार्थं सुरेन्द्रेण भिक्षितो वर्मकुण्डले ॥

evaṃ śastrapratāpena prathitaḥ so'bhavatkṣitau | tvaddhitārthaṃ surendreṇa bhikṣito varmakuṇḍale

Thus he became famous on earth by the power of his weapons; and for your sake the lord of the gods begged from him his armour and earrings.

Verse 9 (12.5.9)

स दिव्ये सहजे प्रादात्कुण्डले परमार्चिते । सहजं कवचं चापि मोहितो देवमायया ॥

sa divye sahaje prādātkuṇḍale paramārcite | sahajaṃ kavacaṃ cāpi mohito devamāyayā

Deluded by divine illusion, he gave away his two divine, inborn, greatly honoured earrings, and his inborn armour as well.

Verse 10 (12.5.10)

विमुक्तः कुण्डलाभ्यां च सहजेन च वर्मणा । निहतो विजयेनाजौ वासुदेवस्य पश्यतः ॥

vimuktaḥ kuṇḍalābhyāṃ ca sahajena ca varmaṇā | nihato vijayenājau vāsudevasya paśyataḥ

Stripped of his earrings and his inborn armour, he was slain in battle by Vijaya, while Vasudeva looked on.

Verse 11 (12.5.11)

ब्राह्मणस्यापि शापेन रामस्य च महात्मनः । कुन्त्याश्च वरदानेन मायया च शतक्रतोः ॥

brāhmaṇasyāpi śāpena rāmasya ca mahātmanaḥ | kuntyāśca varadānena māyayā ca śatakratoḥ

By a brahmin's curse and by the curse of the great-souled Rama, by the boon given to Kunti, and by the illusion worked by Indra,

Verse 12 (12.5.12)

भीष्मावमानात्सङ्ख्यायां रथानामर्धकीर्तनात् । शल्यतेजोवधाच्चापि वासुदेवनयेन च ॥

bhīṣmāvamānātsaṅkhyāyāṃ rathānāmardhakīrtanāt | śalyatejovadhāccāpi vāsudevanayena ca

by Bhishma's slight, by being reckoned only half a chariot-warrior, by Shalya's sapping of his spirit, and by Vasudeva's stratagem,

Note on the text: Recension variant, kept: शल्यतेजोवधाच्चापि against CE śalyāt tejovadhāc cāpi.

Verse 13 (12.5.13)

रुद्रस्य देवराजस्य यमस्य वरुणस्य च । कुबेरद्रोणयोश्चैव कृपस्य च महात्मनः ॥

rudrasya devarājasya yamasya varuṇasya ca | kuberadroṇayoścaiva kṛpasya ca mahātmanaḥ

after Arjuna took up the divine weapons of Rudra, of the king of the gods, of Yama, of Varuna, of Kubera, of Drona, and of the great-souled Kripa,

Verse 14 (12.5.14)

अस्त्राणि दिव्यान्यादाय युधि गाण्डीवधन्वना । हतो वैकर्तनः कर्णो दिवाकरसमद्युतिः ॥

astrāṇi divyānyādāya yudhi gāṇḍīvadhanvanā | hato vaikartanaḥ karṇo divākarasamadyutiḥ

Karna, son of Vikartana, radiant as the sun, was slain in battle by the wielder of the Gandiva.

Verse 15 (12.5.15)

एवं शप्तस्तव भ्राता बहुभिश्चापि वञ्चितः । न शोच्यः पुरुषव्याघ्र युद्धे हि निधनं गतः ॥

evaṃ śaptastava bhrātā bahubhiścāpi vañcitaḥ | na śocyaḥ puruṣavyāghra yuddhe hi nidhanaṃ gataḥ

Cursed in this way and cheated by many, your brother, tiger among men, is not to be mourned, for he met his death in battle.