त्वं तु मां मन्यसे ऽशक्तं यथा कापुरुषं तथा ॥
भवान् अर्धरथो मह्यं मतो नास्त्य् अत्र संशयः ॥
सर्वस्य जगतश् चैव गाङ्गेय न मृषा वदे ॥
कुरूणाम् अहितो नित्यं न च राजावबुध्यते ॥
को हि नाम समानेषु राजसूदात्तकर्मसु ॥
तेजोवधम् इमं कुर्याद् विभेदयिषुर् आहवे ॥
यथा त्वं गुणनिर्देशाद् अपराधं चिकीर्षसि ॥
न हायनैर् न पलितैर् न वित्तैर् न च बन्धुभिः ॥
महारथत्वं संख्यातुं शक्यं क्षत्रस्य कौरव ॥
बलज्येष्ठं स्मृतं क्षत्रं मन्त्रज्येष्ठा द्विजातयः ॥
धनज्येष्ठाः स्मृता वैश्याः शूद्रास् तु वयसाधिकाः ॥
tvaṃ tu māṃ manyase 'śaktaṃ yathā kāpuruṣaṃ tathā ||
bhavān ardharatho mahyaṃ mato nāsty atra saṃśayaḥ ||
sarvasya jagataś caiva gāṅgeya na mṛṣā vade ||
kurūṇām ahito nityaṃ na ca rājāvabudhyate ||
ko hi nāma samāneṣu rājasūdāttakarmasu ||
tejovadham imaṃ kuryād vibhedayiṣur āhave ||
yathā tvaṃ guṇanirdeśād aparādhaṃ cikīrṣasi ||
na hāyanair na palitair na vittair na ca bandhubhiḥ ||
mahārathatvaṃ saṃkhyātuṃ śakyaṃ kṣatrasya kaurava ||
balajyeṣṭhaṃ smṛtaṃ kṣatraṃ mantrajyeṣṭhā dvijātayaḥ ||
dhanajyeṣṭhāḥ smṛtā vaiśyāḥ śūdrās tu vayasādhikāḥ ||
'But you consider me incapable, as though I were a coward. Yet you yourself, in my view, are a half-ratha; there is no doubt of it. O Gangeya, I speak no falsehood before the whole world: you are ever an ill-wisher of the Kurus, and the king does not perceive it. Who among equal kings of noble deeds would so diminish another's might, wishing to split the army in battle, as you, under the guise of naming his qualities, wish to inflict an injury? One cannot reckon a kshatriya's greatness as a maharatha, O Kauravya, by years, by gray hairs, by wealth, or by kinsmen. Among kshatriyas, seniority is determined by strength; among the twice-born, by counsel; among Vaishyas, by wealth; while Shudras are held senior by age.'
8b855d26a18d · प्रकाशित 17 जुल॰ 2026, 6:32:37 am UTC
उपलब्ध भाषाएँRUENश्लोक बदलें इन कुंजियों से
In this chapter the hidden rift within the Kaurava camp becomes visible. Bhishma calls Karna a half-ratha not out of simple dislike: he is pointing to the loss of Karna's natural armor, to the curses laid on him, and to his unreliability at the decisive moment. But Karna hears this as public humiliation and answers even more destructively, calling into question Bhishma's very ability to judge warriors. Thus, on the eve of war, the weakness of Duryodhana's side becomes apparent: an outwardly immense army is already cracking from within, undone by pride, rivalry, and an inability to accept the truth.