Shloka 15
Adhyāya 203 — Tilottamā-sṛṣṭiḥ
Creation and Commissioning of Tilottamā
न मित्राण्यर्थकृच्छेषु श्रेयसे चेतराय वा । विधिपूर्व हि सर्वस्य दु:खं वा यदि वा सुखम्,मित्र भी अर्थसंकटके समय अथवा किसी कामकी कठिनाई आ पड़नेपर न तो कल्याण कर सकते हैं और न अकल्याण ही। सभीके लिये दुःख या सुखकी प्राप्ति भाग्यके अनुसार ही होती है
na mitrāṇy arthakṛccheṣu śreyase cetarāya vā | vidhipūrvaṃ hi sarvasya duḥkhaṃ vā yadi vā sukham ||
Karna sprach: „In Zeiten finanzieller Not vermögen Freunde in Wahrheit weder das Wohl noch das Unheil eines Menschen herbeizuführen. Für jeden kommen Leid oder Glück gemäß dem, was das Schicksal verordnet hat.“
कर्ण उवाच
Educational Q&A
Karna emphasizes a fatalistic ethic: in crises, friends are limited in their power to secure benefit or cause harm; ultimately, happiness and suffering arise according to vidhi (what is ordained).
Karna is speaking in Adi Parva, framing the situation through the lens of destiny: he downplays the practical efficacy of allies in moments of hardship and interprets outcomes as governed by fate rather than interpersonal support.