वैशंपायन उवाच
ततस् तस्मिन् क्षणे कर्णः सलाजकुसुमैर् घटैः ॥
काञ्चनैः काञ्चने पीठे मन्त्रविद्भिर् महारथः ॥
अभिषिक्तो ऽङ्गराज्ये स श्रिया युक्तो महाबलः ॥
सच्छत्रवालव्यजनो जयशब्दान्तरेण च ॥
उवाच कौरवं राजा राजानं तं वृषस् तदा ॥
अस्य राज्यप्रदानस्य सदृशं किं ददानि ते ॥
प्रब्रूहि राजशार्दूल कर्ता ह्य् अस्मि तथा नृप ॥
अत्यन्तं सख्यम् इच्छामीत्य् आह तं स सुयोधनः ॥
एवम् उक्तस् ततः कर्णस् तथेति प्रत्यभाषत ॥
हर्षाच् चोभौ समाश्लिष्य परां मुदम् अवापतुः ॥
vaiśaṃpāyana uvāca
tatas tasmin kṣaṇe karṇaḥ salājakusumair ghaṭaiḥ ||
kāñcanaiḥ kāñcane pīṭhe mantravidbhir mahārathaḥ ||
abhiṣikto 'ṅgarājye sa śriyā yukto mahābalaḥ ||
sacchatravālavyajano jayaśabdāntareṇa ca ||
uvāca kauravaṃ rājā rājānaṃ taṃ vṛṣas tadā ||
asya rājyapradānasya sadṛśaṃ kiṃ dadāni te ||
prabrūhi rājaśārdūla kartā hy asmi tathā nṛpa ||
atyantaṃ sakhyam icchāmīty āha taṃ sa suyodhanaḥ ||
evam uktas tataḥ karṇas tatheti pratyabhāṣata ||
harṣāc cobhau samāśliṣya parāṃ mudam avāpatuḥ ||
"Then in that same moment Karna, that great chariot-warrior, was anointed to the kingship of Anga — with water from golden vessels filled with parched rice and flowers, on a golden seat, by knowers of mantras — endowed with royal splendor, mighty, with a white parasol and fans, amid cries of victory. And the king Vrisha said then to Duryodhana: 'What shall I give you, equal to this gift of a kingdom? Tell me, O tiger among kings; for I shall do it, O sovereign.' 'I desire everlasting friendship,' said Duryodhana to him. Thus entreated, Karna replied: 'So be it' — and both, embracing each other in joy, attained supreme bliss."
93189728d746 · प्रकाशित 12 जुल॰ 2026, 4:53:32 pm UTC
उपलब्ध भाषाएँRUENश्लोक बदलें इन कुंजियों से
Here a friendship is sealed that is destined to outlast everything. Karna's nobility is significant: benefited with a kingdom, he immediately seeks to repay it — his gratitude knows no measure. It is significant, too, that Duryodhana asks not for service or gain but for 'everlasting friendship': in this moment something genuine speaks in him as well, not calculation alone. Here it becomes clear that even among the unrighteous a true attachment can flare up, and Karna's loyalty to Duryodhana becomes one of the purest notes of the epic — the more tragic for being given to a defender of adharma. It is significant that this friendship 'of calculation' turns into something true and lifelong: Karna will not betray Duryodhana even upon learning that he is Kunti's son and brother to his enemies. Thus the text shows Karna's greatness and his doom together: his unbreakable loyalty is both his glory and his ruin, for it bound him to the wrong cause until death itself.