Karna Lays Down His Arms

Verse 1 (5.62.1)

तथा तु पृच्छन्तमतीव पार्थं । वैचित्रवीर्यं तमचिन्तयित्वा । उवाच कर्णो धृतराष्ट्रपुत्रं । प्रहर्षयन्संसदि कौरवाणाम् ॥

tathā tu pṛcchantamatīva pārthaṃ | vaicitravīryaṃ tamacintayitvā | uvāca karṇo dhṛtarāṣṭraputraṃ | praharṣayansaṃsadi kauravāṇām

But while Vichitravirya's son kept questioning so anxiously about the Partha, Karna, paying him no heed, spoke to Dhritarashtra's son, delighting him in the assembly of the Kauravas:

Verse 2 (5.62.2)

मिथ्या प्रतिज्ञाय मया यदस्त्रं । रामात्कृतं ब्रह्ममयं पुरस्तात् । विज्ञाय तेनास्मि तदैवमुक्त- । स्ते नान्तकाले प्रतिभास्यतीति ॥

mithyā pratijñāya mayā yadastraṃ | rāmātkṛtaṃ brahmamayaṃ purastāt | vijñāya tenāsmi tadaivamukta- | ste nāntakāle pratibhāsyatīti

The Brahma weapon I once won from Rama under a false claim — when he learned the truth, he said to me then: 'At the hour of your death it will not come to your mind.'

Note on the text: Speaker: Karna's words run through verses 2–6 without a printed heading (introduced by verse 1); the page carries वैशंपायन on, so they are given to Karna.

Verse 3 (5.62.3)

महापराधे ह्यपि यन्न तेन । महर्षिणाऽहं गुरुणा च शप्तः । शक्तः प्रदग्धुं ह्यपि तिग्मतेजाः । ससागरामप्यवनिं महर्षिः ॥

mahāparādhe hyapi yanna tena | maharṣiṇā'haṃ guruṇā ca śaptaḥ | śaktaḥ pradagdhuṃ hyapi tigmatejāḥ | sasāgarāmapyavaniṃ maharṣiḥ

Great as my offence was, the great seer, my teacher, did not curse me beyond that — though that seer of fierce energy could have burned up even the earth with its oceans.

Verse 4 (5.62.4)

प्रसादितं ह्यस्य मया मनोऽभू- । च्छुश्रूषया स्वेन च पौरुषेण । तदस्ति चास्त्रं मम सावशेषं । तस्मात्समर्थोऽस्मि ममैष भारः ॥

prasāditaṃ hyasya mayā mano'bhū- | cchuśrūṣayā svena ca pauruṣeṇa | tadasti cāstraṃ mama sāvaśeṣaṃ | tasmātsamartho'smi mamaiṣa bhāraḥ

For I had won his heart by my service and by my own manliness. So that weapon is still mine while my span of life remains; therefore I am able. This burden is mine.

Verse 5 (5.62.5)

निमेषमात्रात्तमृषेः प्रसाद- । मवाप्य पाञ्चालकरूषमत्स्यान् । निहत्य पार्थान्सह पुत्रपौत्रै- । र्लोकानहं शस्त्रजितान्प्रपत्स्ये ॥

nimeṣamātrāttamṛṣeḥ prasāda- | mavāpya pāñcālakarūṣamatsyān | nihatya pārthānsaha putrapautrai- | rlokānahaṃ śastrajitānprapatsye

Having gained that seer's grace, I will in the blink of an eye slay the Panchalas, the Karushas and the Matsyas, and the Parthas with their sons and grandsons, and win the worlds that are won by arms.

Note on the text: Corrected पाञ्चालकरूशमत्स्यान् → पाञ्चालकरूषमत्स्यान् (misprint in Wikisource; श for ष in the name of the Karushas, critical edition pāñcālakarūṣamatsyān).

Verse 6 (5.62.6)

पितामहस्तिष्ठतु ते समीपे । द्रोणश्च सर्वे च नरेन्द्रमुख्याः । ऋषिप्रसादेन बलेन गत्वा । पार्थान्हनिष्यामि ममैष भारः ॥

pitāmahastiṣṭhatu te samīpe | droṇaśca sarve ca narendramukhyāḥ | ṛṣiprasādena balena gatvā | pārthānhaniṣyāmi mamaiṣa bhāraḥ

Let the Grandsire stay at your side, and Drona, and all the chief kings. Going forth with the strength of the seer's grace, I will slay the Parthas. This burden is mine.

Verse 7 (5.62.7)

एवं ब्रुवन्तं तमुवाच भीष्मः । किं कत्थसे कालपरीतबुद्धे । न कर्ण जानासि यथा प्रधाने । हते हताः स्युर्धृतराष्ट्रपुत्राः ॥

evaṃ bruvantaṃ tamuvāca bhīṣmaḥ | kiṃ katthase kālaparītabuddhe | na karṇa jānāsi yathā pradhāne | hate hatāḥ syurdhṛtarāṣṭraputrāḥ

As he spoke thus, Bhishma said to him: 'Why do you boast, your mind in the grip of Time? Do you not know, Karna, that once their chief is struck down, the sons of Dhritarashtra are as good as slain?'

Verse 8 (5.62.8)

यत्खाण्डवं दाहयता कृतं हि । कृष्णद्वितीयेन धनञ्जयेन । श्रुत्वैव तत्कर्म नियन्तुमात्मा । युक्तस्त्वया वै सहबान्धवेन ॥

yatkhāṇḍavaṃ dāhayatā kṛtaṃ hi | kṛṣṇadvitīyena dhanañjayena | śrutvaiva tatkarma niyantumātmā | yuktastvayā vai sahabāndhavena

Merely hearing of the deed that Dhananjaya, with Krishna as his companion, did when he burned the Khandava forest, you and your kinsmen ought to have held yourselves in check.

Note on the text: Speaker: Bhishma's words, begun within verse 7, continue through verses 8–11 without a printed heading, so they are given to Bhishma.

Verse 9 (5.62.9)

यां चापि शक्तिं त्रिदशाधिपस्ते । ददौ महात्मा भगवान्महेन्द्रः । भस्मीकृतां तां समरे विशीर्णां । चक्राहतां द्रक्ष्यसि केशवेन ॥

yāṃ cāpi śaktiṃ tridaśādhipaste | dadau mahātmā bhagavānmahendraḥ | bhasmīkṛtāṃ tāṃ samare viśīrṇāṃ | cakrāhatāṃ drakṣyasi keśavena

And the spear that the lord of the thirty gods, the great-souled and blessed Mahendra, gave you — you will see it in battle burnt to ashes and shattered, struck down by Keshava's discus.

Verse 10 (5.62.10)

यस्ते शरः सर्पमुखो विभाति । सदाऽग्र्यमाल्यैर्महितः प्रयत्नात् । स पाण्डुपुत्राभिहतः शरौघैः । सह त्वया यास्यति कर्ण नाशम् ॥

yaste śaraḥ sarpamukho vibhāti | sadā'gryamālyairmahitaḥ prayatnāt | sa pāṇḍuputrābhihataḥ śaraughaiḥ | saha tvayā yāsyati karṇa nāśam

That serpent-mouthed arrow of yours, which gleams as you honour it with care with the choicest garlands — struck down by floods of the Pandu son's arrows, it will go to destruction together with you, Karna.

Verse 11 (5.62.11)

बाणस्य भौमस्य च कर्ण हन्ता । किरीटिनं रक्षति वासुदेवः । यस्त्वादृशानां च वरीयसां च । हन्ता रिपूणां तुमुले प्रगाढे ॥

bāṇasya bhaumasya ca karṇa hantā | kirīṭinaṃ rakṣati vāsudevaḥ | yastvādṛśānāṃ ca varīyasāṃ ca | hantā ripūṇāṃ tumule pragāḍhe

Vasudeva, the slayer of Bana and of Bhauma, protects the Diademed One, Karna — he who in the thick of battle slays foes like you and greater than you.

Verse 12 (5.62.12)

असंशयं वृष्णिपतिर्यथोक्त- । स्तथा च भूयांश्च ततो महात्मा । अहं यदुक्तः परुषं तु किंचि- । त्पितामहस्तस्य फलं शृणोतु ॥

asaṃśayaṃ vṛṣṇipatiryathokta- | stathā ca bhūyāṃśca tato mahātmā | ahaṃ yaduktaḥ paruṣaṃ tu kiṃci- | tpitāmahastasya phalaṃ śṛṇotu

No doubt the lord of the Vrishnis is as you describe him, and greater still, great-souled as he is. But since the Grandsire has spoken somewhat harshly to me, let him hear what comes of it.

Verse 13 (5.62.13)

न्यस्यामि शस्त्राणि न जातु सङ्ख्ये । पितामहो द्रक्ष्यति मां सभायाम् । त्वयि प्रशान्ते तु मम प्रभावं । द्रक्ष्यन्ति सर्वे भुवि भूमिपालाः ॥

nyasyāmi śastrāṇi na jātu saṅkhye | pitāmaho drakṣyati māṃ sabhāyām | tvayi praśānte tu mama prabhāvaṃ | drakṣyanti sarve bhuvi bhūmipālāḥ

I lay down my weapons. Never will the Grandsire see me in battle, only in the assembly hall. But when you are laid to rest, all the kings of the earth will see my might.

Verse 14 (5.62.14)

इत्येवमुक्त्वा स महाधनुष्मान् । हित्वा सभां स्वं भवनं जगाम । भीष्मस्तु दुर्योधनमेव राजन् । मध्ये कुरूणां प्रहसन्नुवाच ॥

ityevamuktvā sa mahādhanuṣmān | hitvā sabhāṃ svaṃ bhavanaṃ jagāma | bhīṣmastu duryodhanameva rājan | madhye kurūṇāṃ prahasannuvāca

Having said this, the great bowman left the hall and went to his own house. But Bhishma, O king, laughing, spoke to Duryodhana alone in the midst of the Kurus:

Note on the text: Matches the critical edition's 5.61.14 word for word (the automatic alignment missed it).

Verse 15 (5.62.15)

सत्यप्रतिज्ञः किल सूतपुत्र- । स्तथा स भारं विषहेत कस्मात् । व्यूहं प्रतिव्यूह्य शिरांसि भित्त्वा । लोकक्षयं पश्यत भीमसेनात् ॥

satyapratijñaḥ kila sūtaputra- | stathā sa bhāraṃ viṣaheta kasmāt | vyūhaṃ prativyūhya śirāṃsi bhittvā | lokakṣayaṃ paśyata bhīmasenāt

The Suta's son keeps his promises, no doubt! How then is he to bear that burden? Watch instead the destruction of the world at Bhimasena's hands, as he sets his array against ours and splits men's heads.

Note on the text: Corrected कस → स (misprint in Wikisource; stray क, which makes the line a syllable too long; critical edition tathā sa bhāraṃ). Speaker: Bhishma's words (verses 15–17), introduced by verse 14, carry no printed heading, so they are given to Bhishma.

Verse 16 (5.62.16)

आवन्त्यकालिङ्गजयद्रथेषु । चेदिध्वजे तिष्ठति बाह्लिके च । अहं हनिष्यामि सदा परेषां । सहस्रशश्चायुतशश्च योधान् ॥

āvantyakāliṅgajayadratheṣu | cedidhvaje tiṣṭhati bāhlike ca | ahaṃ haniṣyāmi sadā pareṣāṃ | sahasraśaścāyutaśaśca yodhān

While the kings of Avanti and Kalinga, Jayadratha, Chedidhvaja and Bahlika stand by, I myself will slay the enemy's warriors day after day, by thousands and by tens of thousands.

Verse 17 (5.62.17)

यदैव रामे भगवत्यनिन्द्ये । ब्रह्मब्रुवाणः कृतवांस्तदस्त्रम् । तदैव धर्मश्च तपश्च नष्टं । वैकर्तनस्याधमपूरुषस्य ॥

yadaiva rāme bhagavatyanindye | brahmabruvāṇaḥ kṛtavāṃstadastram | tadaiva dharmaśca tapaśca naṣṭaṃ | vaikartanasyādhamapūruṣasya

From the moment he obtained that weapon from the blessed, blameless Rama by calling himself a brahmin, the dharma and the austerity of Vaikartana, basest of men, were lost.

Note on the text: Corrected तषश्च → तपश्च (misprint in Wikisource; ष for प, critical edition tapaś ca).

Verse 18 (5.62.18)

तथोक्तवाक्ये नृपतीन्द्र भीष्मे । निक्षिप्य शस्त्राणि गते च कर्णे । वैचित्रवीर्यस्य सुतोऽल्पबुद्धि- । र्दुर्योधनः शान्तनवं बभाषे ॥

tathoktavākye nṛpatīndra bhīṣme | nikṣipya śastrāṇi gate ca karṇe | vaicitravīryasya suto'lpabuddhi- | rduryodhanaḥ śāntanavaṃ babhāṣe

When Bhishma had spoken thus, O lord of kings, and Karna had laid down his weapons and gone, Duryodhana of little understanding, son of Vichitravirya's son, spoke to Shantanu's son: