Shloka 101
ततः सुयोधनो दृष्टवा हतमाधिरथिं त्वया । निराशो जीविते त्वद्य राज्ये चैव भवत्वरि:
tataḥ suyodhano dṛṣṭvā hatam ādhirathiṁ tvayā | nirāśo jīvite tv adya rājye caiva bhavatv ariḥ ||
Sañjaya sprach: „Dann, wenn dein Feind Suyodhana (Duryodhana) sieht, dass Karṇa, der Sohn Adhirathas, von dir erschlagen wurde, möge er heute gänzlich hoffnungslos werden—sowohl um sein Leben als auch um sein Reich.“
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how the fall of a principal support (Karṇa) can shatter an unjust ruler’s confidence in both survival and sovereignty, underscoring the moral-psychological dimension of war: adharma-driven power often depends on fragile alliances and collapses when its key pillar falls.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that after Karṇa (called ‘Ādhirathi’, son of Adhiratha) is killed by the opposing hero addressed as ‘you’, Duryodhana, the Kaurava king, is expected to lose hope for both his life and his kingdom.