Shloka 13

Devanagari script

अद्य दुर्योधनो राज्याज्जीविताच्च निराशक: । भविष्यति हते कर्णे कृष्ण सत्यं ब्रवीमि ते,“श्रीकृष्ण! मैं आपसे सच्ची बात कहता हूँ। आज कर्णका वध हो जानेपर दुर्योधन अपने राज्य और जीवन दोनोंसे निराश हो जायगा

Transliteration

adya duryodhano rājyāj jīvitāc ca nirāśakaḥ | bhaviṣyati hate karṇe kṛṣṇa satyaṃ bravīmi te ||

Translation

Sañjaya said: “O Krishna, I tell you the truth: today, when Karna is slain, Duryodhana will lose all hope—both of his kingdom and even of his life.”

Word by Word

अद्यtoday

दुर्योधनःDuryodhana

राज्यात्from (his) kingdom

जीवितात्from life

चand

निराशकःhopeless, despairing

भविष्यतिwill become

हतेwhen (he is) slain

कर्णेin the case of Karna / when Karna (is slain)

कृष्णO Krishna

सत्यम्truth

ब्रवीमिI say / I speak

तेto you

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sanjaya

Duryodhana

Karna

Krishna

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the collapse of morale when a pivotal support is lost: attachment to power and reliance on a single champion can turn swiftly into despair. It also foregrounds satya (truthful speech) as Sanjaya frames his report to Krishna as a factual, ethically grounded declaration.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sanjaya reports to Krishna that with Karna’s death, Duryodhana—who depended heavily on Karna as his foremost warrior—will become hopeless about both retaining the kingdom and even preserving his own life, signaling a decisive turning point in the war.