Shloka 9
Dhṛtarāṣṭra–Duryodhana Dialogue on Peace and the Refusal of Compromise
न त्वं करोषि कामेन कर्ण: कारयिता तव । दुःशासनश्न पापात्मा शकुनिश्चापि सौबल:,(मैं जानता हूँ.) तुम अपनी इच्छासे युद्ध नहीं कर रहे हो, अपितु पापात्मा दुःशासन, कर्ण तथा सुबल-पुत्र शकुनि ही तुमसे यह कार्य करा रहे हैं
na tvaṁ karoṣi kāmena karṇaḥ kārayitā tava | duḥśāsanaś ca pāpātmā śakuniś cāpi saubalaḥ ||
Dhṛtarāṣṭra sprach: „Du verfolgst diesen Krieg nicht aus eigenem Begehren. Karṇa treibt dich dazu; und der sündige Duḥśāsana sowie Śakuni, der Sohn Subalas, zwingen dich ebenfalls.“
धृतराष्ट उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights ethical accountability amid influence: destructive actions often arise from being driven by manipulative advisers and companions. It warns that yielding to such instigation undermines dharma and leads to collective ruin, even if one claims the decision was not purely personal.
Dhṛtarāṣṭra addresses his son (contextually Duryodhana) and attributes the push toward war to the provocations and schemes of Karṇa, Duḥśāsana, and Śakuni. He portrays Duryodhana as being propelled by these figures rather than acting from an independent, considered intention.