Mahabharata · Chapter 12.2

sa evamuktastu tadā nārado vadatāṃvaraḥ /
kathayāmāsa tatsarvaṃ yathā śaptaḥ sa sūtajaḥ //
nārada uvāca /

evametanmahābāho yathā vadasi bhārata /
na karṇārjunayoḥ kiñcidaviṣahyaṃ bhavedraṇe //

guhyametattu devānāṃ kathayiṣyāmi te nṛpa /
tannibodha mahābāho yathāvṛttamidaṃ purā //

kṣatraṃ svargaṃ kathaṃ gacchecchastrapūtamiti prabho /
sangharṣajananastasmātkanyāgarbho visarjitaḥ //

sa bālastejasā yuktaḥ sūtaputratvamāgataḥ /
cakārāṅgirasāṃ śreṣṭhe dhanurvedaṃ gurau tava //

sa balaṃ bhīmasenasya phalgunasyāstralāghavam /
buddhiṃ ca tava rājendra yamayorvinayaṃ tathā //

sakhyaṃ ca vāsudevena bālye gāṇḍīvadhanvanaḥ /
rājānāmanurāgaṃ ca cintayāno vyadahyata //

sa sakhyamagamadbālye rājñā duryodhanena ca /
yuṣmābhirnityasanghṛṣṭo daivāccāpi svabhāvataḥ //

vidyādhikamathālakṣya dhanurvede dhanañjayam /
droṇaṃ rahasyupāgamya karṇo vacanamabravīt //

brahmāstraṃ vettumicchāmi sarahasyanivartanam /
arjunena samo yuddhe bhaveyamiti me matiḥ //

samaḥ putreṣu ca snehaḥ śiṣyeṣu ca tava dhruvam /
tvatprasādānna mā brūyurakṛtāstraṃ vicakṣaṇāḥ //

droṇastathoktaḥ karṇena sāpekṣaḥ phalgunaṃ prati /
daurātmyaṃ caiva karṇasya viditvā tamuvāca ha //

brahmāstraṃ brāhmaṇo vidyādyathāvaccaritavrataḥ /
kṣatriyo vā tapasvī yo nānyo vidyātkathañcana //

ityukto'ṅgirasāṃ śreṣṭhamāmantrya pratipūjya ca /
jagāma sahasā rājanmahendraṃ parvataṃ prati //

sa tu rāmamupāgamya śirasā'bhipraṇamya ca /
brāhmaṇo bhārgavo'smīti gauraveṇābhyavandata //

rāmastaṃ pratijagrāha pṛṣṭvā gotrādi sarvaśaḥ /
uṣyatāṃ svāgataṃ ceti prītimāṃścābhavadbhṛśam //

tatra karṇasya vasato mahendre svargasammite /
gandharvai rākṣasairyakṣairdevaiścāsītsamāgamaḥ //

sa tatreṣvastramakarodbhṛguśreṣṭhādyathāvidhi /
priyaścābhavadatyarthaṃ devadānavarakṣasām //

sa kadācitsamudrānte vicarannāśramāntike /
ekaḥ khaṅgadhanuṣpāṇiḥ paricakrāma sūtajaḥ //

so'gnihotraprasaktasya kasyacidbrahmavādinaḥ /
jaghānājñānataḥ pārtha homadhenuṃ yadṛcchayā //

tadajñānakṛtaṃ matvā brāhmaṇāya nyavedayat /
karṇaḥ prasādayaṃścainamidamityabravīdvacaḥ //

abuddhipūrvaṃ bhagavandhenureṣā hatā tava /
mayā tatra prasādaṃ me kuruṣveti punaḥ punaḥ //

taṃ sa vipro'bravītkruddho vācā nirbhartsayanniva /
durācāra vadhārhastvaṃ phalaṃ prāpsyasi durmate //

yena vispardhase nityaṃ yadarthaṃ ghaṭase'niśam /
yudhyatastena te pāpa bhūmiścakraṃ grasiṣyati //

tataścakre mahīgraste mūrdhānaṃ te viceṣṭataḥ /
pātayiṣyati vikramya śatrurgaccha narādhama //

yatheyaṃ gaurhatā mūḍha pramattasya tvayā mama /
pramattasyaiva me vācā śiraste pātayiṣyati //

śaptaḥ prasādayāmāsa karṇastaṃ dvijasattamam /
gobhirdhanaiśca ratnaiśca sa cainaṃ punarabravīt //

nedamavyāhṛtaṃ kuryādbrahmaloke'pi kevalam /
gaccha vā tiṣṭha vā yadvā kāryaṃ yattatsamācara //

ityukto brāhmaṇenātha karṇo dainyādadhomukhaḥ /
rāmamabhyāgamadbhītastadeva manasā smaran //