Shloka 3
भीष्मकृतः पाण्डवपक्ष-महारथ-प्रशंसा
Bhishma’s appraisal of Pandava-aligned chariot-warriors
सखा ते दयितो नित्यं य एष रणकर्कश: । उत्साहयति राजंस्त्वां विग्रहे पाण्डवैः सह
sakhā te dayito nityaṃ ya eṣa raṇakarkaśaḥ | utsāhayati rājan tvāṃ vigrahe pāṇḍavaiḥ saha ||
Bhīṣma sprach: „O König, dieser Karṇa — dein stets geliebter Gefährte — ist hart und erbarmungslos im Kampf und drängt dich unablässig zum Krieg gegen die Pāṇḍavas. Sein Einfluss entfernt dich von Selbstbeherrschung und Versöhnung und entfacht den Kriegswillen, statt der königlichen Pflicht zu maßvollem Urteil.“
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler must scrutinize counsel and companionship: even a dear friend can become ethically dangerous if he habitually inflames hostility. Kingship requires restraint and discernment, not being driven into war by aggressive advisers.
In Udyoga Parva, as war becomes imminent, Bhīṣma addresses Dhṛtarāṣṭra and points to Karṇa’s role in urging him toward armed conflict with the Pāṇḍavas, warning about the corrosive effect of such incitement.