Shloka 40

Adhyāya 129 — Public Acclaim of the Pāṇḍavas and Duryodhana’s Appeal to Dhṛtarāṣṭra

Devanagari script

एवं दुर्योधन: कर्ण: शकुनिश्चापि सौबल: । अनेकैरभ्युपायैस्ताज्जिघांसन्ति सम पाण्डवान्‌,इस प्रकार दुर्योधन, कर्ण तथा सुबलपुत्र शकुनि अनेक उपायोंद्वारा पाण्डवोंको मार डालना चाहते थे

Transliteration

evaṁ duryodhanaḥ karṇaḥ śakuniś cāpi saubalaḥ | anekair abhyupāyais tāñ jighāṁsanti sma pāṇḍavān ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana sprach: So schmiedeten Duryodhana, Karṇa und Śakuni, der Sohn Subalas, vielerlei Ränke, fest entschlossen, die Pāṇḍavas zu töten.

Word by Word

एवम्thus

दुर्योधनःDuryodhana

कर्णःKarna

शकुनिःShakuni

चand

अपिalso

सौबलःson of Subala

अनेकैःby many

अभ्युपायैःby means/strategies

तान्those (them)

जिघांसन्तिwish/seek to kill

सम्together/wholly (prefix-like usage)

पाण्डवान्the Pandavas

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Duryodhana

Karna

Shakuni

Subala

Pāṇḍavas

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how deliberate intent to harm—especially through calculated schemes—marks a fall into adharma. It frames moral decline not as a sudden act but as sustained, collective planning driven by envy and hostility.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana reports that Duryodhana, together with Karṇa and Śakuni (Subala’s son), are actively plotting through multiple stratagems to kill the Pāṇḍavas, setting the stage for escalating conflict within the Kuru family.