Arjuna Swears to Kill Karna in Battle
Moved by Bhima's vows, Arjuna makes his own. He swears a solemn oath that he will kill Karna and all who follow him in battle, and that the Kauravas must return the kingdom in the fourteenth year or face total destruction.
Arjuna listened to Bhima’s terrible promises. Then he spoke, his voice confirming the path they were now on. “The truthful Bhima’s resolutions are not known only in words,” he said. “In the fourteenth year, what is going to occur will be witnessed.”
He named the earth’s future drink: the blood of Duryodhana, Karna, the evil-hearted Shakuni, and Duhshasana. Then, for Bhima’s pleasure, he made his own vow. “On your instructions, I will kill in battle this jealous Karna, who uses his eloquence to praise the wicked.”
The oath was absolute. “In battle, I will kill Karna and Karna’s followers with my arrows. With my sharp arrows, I will send to Yama’s abode all those other kings who will fight with me out of their folly.” He called on cosmic witnesses to hold him to his word. “Let the Himalayas move from where they are established, let the sun be dimmed, let coolness be destroyed from the moon, if I deviate from this vow.”
The deadline was set. “In the fourteenth year, if Duryodhana does not restore the kingdom to us with proper honour, all this will certainly happen.” The promise was no longer just about personal vengeance. It was a conditional ultimatum: return what was stolen with dignity when the exile ends, or face annihilation at the hands of the man who had just sworn to become Karna’s death.