Shloka 3
काकोपमोपदेशः
The Crow-and-Swan Exemplum as Counsel to Karṇa
दुर्योधनश्व विरथ: कृतस्तत्र महारथ: । धर्मपुत्र: कथं चक्रे तस्य वा नृपति: कथम्
sañjaya uvāca | duryodhanaś ca virathaḥ kṛtas tatra mahārathaḥ | dharmaputraḥ kathaṃ cakre tasya vā nṛpatiḥ katham |
Sañjaya said: “I hear that the great chariot-warrior Duryodhana was there made chariotless. How, then, did Dharmaputra (Yudhiṣṭhira) engage him in battle? And how did King Duryodhana conduct himself toward Yudhiṣṭhira?”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds the ethical tension in warfare: when a famed warrior is rendered chariotless, the manner of engagement becomes a question of dharma—how a righteous king should fight, and how an opposing king should comport himself with honor or hostility.
Sañjaya reports that Duryodhana has been made chariotless and asks for clarification about the ensuing encounter: how Yudhiṣṭhira fought him under those conditions and what kind of behavior Duryodhana displayed toward Yudhiṣṭhira.