Shloka 24
Jatugṛha-dāhānantara-vṛttāntaḥ
Aftermath of the Lac House Fire
दुर्योधनस्थापि तदा कर्णमासाद्य पार्थिव | भयमर्जुनसंजातं क्षिप्रमन््तरधीयत,जनमेजय! उस समय कर्णको मित्रके रूपमें पाकर दुर्योधनका भी अर्जुनसे होनेवाला भय शीघ्र दूर हो गया
duryodhanasyāpi tadā karṇam āsādya pārthiva | bhayam arjuna-sañjātaṁ kṣipram antaradhīyata janamejaya ||
Vaiśampāyana sprach: „O König Janamejaya, damals wurde selbst Duryodhana — da er Karṇa als Freund an seiner Seite gefunden hatte — rasch frei von der Furcht, die in ihm Arjuna wegen aufgestiegen war.“
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a moral-psychological point: fear often diminishes when one gains strong support or alliance. Yet the relief is situational—confidence comes from association with power, not necessarily from resolving the root cause of conflict.
In Vaiśampāyana’s narration to King Janamejaya, Duryodhana meets Karṇa and gains him as a friend/ally. As a result, Duryodhana’s fear of Arjuna quickly disappears, signaling the strengthening of the Kaurava camp through Karṇa’s support.