Shloka 6
कर्णसेनापत्यारम्भः — Karṇa’s Appointment and the Report to Dhṛtarāṣṭra
Chapter 1
उषितास्ते निशां तां तु दुर्योधननिवेशने । चिन्तयन्त: परिक्लेशान् पाण्डवानां महात्मनाम्
uṣitās te niśāṃ tāṃ tu duryodhana-niveśane | cintayantaḥ parikleśān pāṇḍavānāṃ mahātmanām | viśeṣataḥ sūtaputraḥ karṇaḥ rājā duryodhanaḥ duḥśāsanaḥ tathā mahābalī subalaputraḥ śakuniḥ |
Vaiśampāyana said: They spent that night in Duryodhana’s camp, brooding over the grievous hardships that had been inflicted upon the great-souled Pāṇḍavas. In particular, Karṇa the charioteer’s son, King Duryodhana, Duḥśāsana, and the mighty Śakuni—son of Subala—remained there, reflecting on those sufferings with a mind set on continuing the conflict rather than repairing the wrongs.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the moral psychology of adharma: instead of remorse and restitution, the antagonists dwell on the suffering they caused the righteous, reinforcing hostility. It implicitly contrasts noble endurance (mahātmanām pāṇḍavānām) with the corrosive fixation on harming others.
On the eve of the Karṇa Parva events, Duryodhana, Karṇa, Duḥśāsana, and Śakuni spend the night together in Duryodhana’s camp, reflecting on the major troubles imposed on the Pāṇḍavas—setting the tone for continued strategic and hostile action.