Mahabharata · Chapter 4.50
kṛpasya vacanaṃ śrutvā karṇo rājanyudhāmpatiḥ /
punaḥ provāca saṃrabdho garhayanbrāhmaṇaṃ kṛpam //
karṇa uvāca /
lakṣayāmyahamācāryaṃ bhayādbhaktiṃ gataṃ ripau /
bhītena hi na yoddhavyamahaṃ yotsye dhanañjayam // 2 //
nanu vāruṇamāgneyaṃ yāmyaṃ vāyavyameva ca /
astraṃ brahmaśiraścaiva satvahīnasya te vṛthā //
mitrakāryaṃ kṛtamidaṃ pitāputrairmahārathaiḥ /
bhartṛpiṇḍaśca nirviṣṭo yatheṣṭaṃ gantumarhatha //
bhikṣāṃ harasva nityaṃ tvaṃ yajñānanucarasva ca /
āmantraṇāni bhuṅkṣādya mā'smānyuddhena bhīṣaya //
bhārgavāstraṃ mayā muktaṃ nirdahetpṛthivīmimām /
kiṃ punaḥ pāṇḍuputrāṇāmekamarjunamāhave //
āgamiṣyanti padavīṃ mātsyāḥ pāṇḍavamāśritāḥ /
kīcakānāṃ tu balināṃ śatrusenāvamardinām //
tānahaṃ nihaniṣyāmi bhavatā gamyatāṃ gṛham /
kiṃ vedavādināṃ kāryaṃ parasnehānubhāṣiṇām //
tasya tadvacanaṃ śrutvā aśvatthāmā pratāpavān /
uvāca vadatāṃśreṣṭho duryodhanamavekṣya ca //
na ca tāvañjitā gāvo na ca sīmāntaraṃ gatāḥ /
na hāstinapuraṃ prāptāstvaṃ ca karṇa vikatthase //
bahūni dharmaśāstrāṇi paṭhanti dvijasattamāḥ /
teṣu kiṃsvididaṃ dṛṣṭaṃ dyūte jīyeta yannṛpaḥ //
sangrāmānvipulāñjitvā labdhā ca vipulaṃ dhanam /
vijitya ca mahīṃ kṛtsnāṃ neha katthanti paṇḍitāḥ //
pacatyagniravākyastu tūṣṇīṃ bhāti divākaraḥ /
tūṣṇīṃ dhārayate lokānvasudhā sacarācarān //
cāturvarṇyasya karmāṇi vihitāni maharṣibhiḥ /
dhanaṃ yairadhigantavyaṃ yacca kurvanna duṣyati //
adhītya brāhmaṇo vedānyājayeta yajeta vā /
kṣatriyo dhanamāhṛtya yajetaiva na yājayet //
vaiśyo'dhigamya vittāni vārtākarmāṇi kārayet //
śūdraḥ śuśrūṣaṇaṃ kuryātriṣu varṇeṣu nityaśaḥ /
vandanāyogavidhibhirvaitasīṃ vṛttimāśritaḥ //
vartamānā yathāśāstraṃ prāpya cāpi mahīmimām /
prakurvanti mahābhāgā yajñānsuvipulānapi //
kā jātisteṣu sūteyaṃ ke'pi mantrāḥ kriyāśca kāḥ /
keyaṃ varṇeṣu yā rājño vaktṛbhoktṛniyantṛṣu //
vaiśampāyana uvāca /
duryodhanamabhiprekṣya karṇaṃ ca kurusaṃsāda /
aśvatthāmā bhṛśaṃ kruddho duryodhanamatarjayat //
prāpya dyūtena ko rājyaṃ kṣatriyaḥ stoṣṭurmahati /
tathā nṛśaṃsarūpoyaṃ dhārtarāṣṭraśca nirghṛṇaḥ //
tathā'dhigamya vittāni ko vikatthedvicakṣaṇaḥ /
nikṛtyā vañcanāyogaiścaranvaitaṃsiko yathā //
katamaddvairathaṃ yuddhaṃ yatrājaiṣīrdhanañjayam /
nakulaṃ sahadevaṃ vā dhanaṃ yeṣāṃ tvayā hṛtam //
yudhiṣṭhiro jitaḥ kasminbhīmaśca balināṃvaraḥ /
indraprasthaṃ tvayā kasminsangrāme nirjitaṃ purā //
tathaiva katamadyuddhaṃ yasminkṛṣṇā jitā tvayā /
ekavastrā sabhāṃ nītā kṣudrakarmanrajasvalā //
mūlameṣāṃ mahatkṛttaṃ sārārthī candanaṃ yathā /
kṣudraṃ karma samāsthāya tatra kiṃ viduro'bravīt //
yathāśakti manuṣyāṇāmamarṣaṃ lakṣayāmahe /
anyeṣāmapi satvānāmapi kīṭapipīlikaiḥ //
draupadyāḥ samparikleśaṃ na kṣantuṃ pāṇḍavo'rhati /
kṣayāya dhārtarāṣṭrāṇāṃ prādurbhūto dhanañjayaḥ //
tvaṃ punaḥ paṇḍito bhūtvā hyācāryaṃ kṣeptumicchasi /
vairāntakaraṇo jiṣṇurna naḥ śeṣaṃ kariṣyati //
naiva devā na gandharvā nāsurā na ca rākṣasāḥ /
bhayādiha na yuddhyeranpāṇḍuputreṇa dhīmatā //
yaṃ yamekopi sankruddhaḥ sangrāme nipatiṣyati /
vṛkṣaṃ garuḍavadvegādvinihatyāntameṣyati //
tvatto viśiṣṭaṃ vīryeṇa dhanuṣyamararāṭsamam /
vāsudevasamaṃ yuddhe taṃ pārthaṃ ko na pūjayet //
devaṃ daivena yuddhyeta mānupeṇa ca mānupam /
astraṃ hyastreṇa yo hanyātko'rjunena samaḥ pumān //
putrādanavamaḥ śiṣya iti dharmavido viduḥ /
etenāpi nimittena priyo droṇasya pāṇḍavaḥ //
yathā tvamakarordyūtamindraprasthaṃ yathā'haraḥ /
yathā'naiṣīḥ sabhāṃ kṛṣṇāṃ tathā yudhyasva pāṇḍavaṃ //
ayaṃ te mātulaḥ prājñaḥ kṣatradharmasya kovidaḥ /
durdyūtadevī gāndhāraḥ śakuniryuddhyatāmiha //
nākṣānkṣipati gāṇḍīvaṃ na kṛtaṃ dvāparaṃ na ca /
jvalato niśitānbāṇāṃstāṃstānkṣipati gāṇḍivaṃ //
na hi gāṇḍīvanirmuktā gṛdhrapakṣāḥ sutejanāḥ /
nāntareṣvavatiṣṭhante girīṇāmapi dāraṇāḥ //
antakaḥ pavano mṛtyustathā'gnirbaḍavāmukhaḥ /
kuryurete kvaciccheṣaṃ na tu kruddho dhanañjayaḥ //
yathā sabhāyāṃ dyūtaṃ tvaṃ mātulena mahākaroḥ /
tathā yuddhasva sangrāme saubalena surakṣitaḥ //
yuddhyatāṃ kāmamācāryo nāhaṃ yotsye dhanañjayam /
matsyo hyasmābhirāyodhyo yadyāgacchedgavāmpadam //
Original text: Mahābhārata (southern recension) · Edition: Śrīman Mahābhāratam, ed. T. R. Krishnacharya and T. R. Vyasacharya, Nirnaya Sagar Press, Bombay 1906–1910; e-text by SARIT (Shrinivasa Varakhedi and others) · SARIT: Search and Retrieval of Indic Texts · SARIT (e-text) via Internet Archive · CC BY-SA 3.0