Shloka 16
कर्णवधोत्तरं शल्य-दुर्योधनसंवादः
Aftermath of Karṇa’s Fall: Śalya’s Address to Duryodhana
तथा परेषामृषिसत्तमानां श्रुत्वा गिर: पूजयतां सदा त्वाम् । न संनतिं प्रैमि सुयोधनस्य नत्वां जानाम्याधिरथेर्भयार्तम्
tathā pareṣām ṛṣisattamānāṁ śrutvā giraḥ pūjayatāṁ sadā tvām | na saṁnatiṁ praimi suyodhanasya na tvāṁ jānāmy ādhirather bhayārtam ||
Sañjaya said: “In the same way, other foremost sages too would always speak words in praise of you. Hearing such utterances, I could never bring myself to bow before Suyodhana (Duryodhana). Yet I did not know that you would come to be afflicted with fear of Karṇa, the son of Adhiratha.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Public praise by the wise can shape moral judgment: Sañjaya says the sages’ constant commendation of the addressed person made him unwilling to submit to Duryodhana, yet he recognizes that even the praised figure can later be overtaken by fear—highlighting the tension between reputation, inner steadiness, and the pressures of war.
Sañjaya reports that many sages used to praise the person he is addressing; hearing this, he never felt inclined to bow to Duryodhana. He then adds a pointed observation: he had not anticipated that this person would become fearful of Karṇa, identified as Adhiratha’s son.