Shloka 96

धर्मरहस्योपदेशः

Dharma-rahasya Instruction: Vows, Truth, and Non-injury

Devanagari script

दुर्योधनस्य प्रीत्यर्थ राधेयेन दुरात्मना । “दुरात्मा राधापुत्र कर्णने दुर्योधनकी प्रसन्नताके लिये मेरे सामने ही धर्मराजकी समस्त युद्ध-सामग्रीको छिन्न-भिन्न कर डाला है

Transliteration

sañjaya uvāca | duryodhanasya prītyarthaṃ rādheyena durātmanā |

Translation

Sañjaya sprach: Um Duryodhana zu erfreuen, zerschmetterte und vernichtete der böswillige Rādheya (Karna) vor meinen eigenen Augen sämtliche Waffen und Kriegsausrüstung Dharmarājas.

Word by Word

• दुर्योधनस्य: of Duryodhana
• दुर्योधनस्य: Sampradana
• Type: Noun
• Root: दुर्योधन
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• प्रीत्यर्थम्: for (the sake of) pleasure/satisfaction
• प्रीत्यर्थम्: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रीति-अर्थ
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• राधेयेन: by Rādheya (Karna)
• राधेयेन: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: राधेय
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Singular

• दुरात्मना: by the wicked-souled one
• दुरात्मना: Karana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दुरात्मन्
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Duryodhana
• Rādheya (Karna)
• Dharmarāja (Yudhiṣṭhira)
• yuddha-sāmagrī (war equipment)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores how devotion to a person (here, Duryodhana) when detached from dharma can become a motive for cruelty and injustice. Pleasing an ally or patron is not ethically neutral if it requires deliberate harm, humiliation, or violation of righteous conduct in war.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports that Karna, aiming to gratify Duryodhana, destroys Dharmarāja Yudhiṣṭhira’s battle equipment in front of him. It is presented as an act of aggressive disabling and humiliation rather than merely defeating an opponent in fair combat.