Дурьодхана
ततो दुर्योधनो राजा दृष्ट्वा कर्णस्य विक्रमम् ॥
अश्वत्थामानम् आसाद्य तदा वाक्यम् उवाच ह ॥
युध्यते ऽसौ रणे कर्णो दंशितः सर्वपार्थिवैः ॥
पश्यैतां द्रवतीं सेनां कर्णसायकपीडिताम् ॥
कार्त्तिकेयेन विध्वस्ताम् आसुरीं पृतनाम् इव ॥
दृष्ट्वैतां निर्जितां सेनां रणे कर्णेन धीमता ॥
अभियात्य् एष बीभत्सुः सूतपुत्रजिघांसया ॥
तद् यथा पश्यमानानां सूतपुत्रं महारथम् ॥
न हन्यात् पाण्डवः संख्ये तथा नीतिर् विधीयताम् ॥
tato duryodhano rājā dṛṣṭvā karṇasya vikramam ||
aśvatthāmānam āsādya tadā vākyam uvāca ha ||
yudhyate 'sau raṇe karṇo daṃśitaḥ sarvapārthivaiḥ ||
paśyaitāṃ dravatīṃ senāṃ karṇasāyakapīḍitām ||
kārttikeyena vidhvastām āsurīṃ pṛtanām iva ||
dṛṣṭvaitāṃ nirjitāṃ senāṃ raṇe karṇena dhīmatā ||
abhiyāty eṣa bībhatsuḥ sūtaputrajighāṃsayā ||
tad yathā paśyamānānāṃ sūtaputraṃ mahāratham ||
na hanyāt pāṇḍavaḥ saṃkhye tathā nītir vidhīyatām ||
Then king Duryodhana, having seen Karna's valor, approached Ashvatthaman and spoke: "There Karna fights in battle, clad in armor, with all the kings; look at this fleeing army, harried by Karna's arrows. Seeing this army routed in battle by wise Karna, there Bibhatsu [Arjuna] advances, yearning to slay the charioteer's son. Let a plan be devised so that, before our very eyes, the Pandava does not slay the charioteer's son, the maharatha, in combat."
a335ccaf8ea7 · published Jul 19, 2026, 4:40:45 PM UTC
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Seeing Arjuna advancing, Duryodhana is anxious to save Karna: "let a plan be devised so that he does not perish." It is telling that he recognizes Karna cannot withstand Arjuna without support. The verse teaches that placing all hope in one man breeds endless anxiety for him; and a leader whose hope rests on a single person ceaselessly seeks to protect him, for with him everything will fall.