Shloka 44
जहर्ष कर्णोडतिभूशं सह दुःशासनादिशभि: । इतरेषां तु सभ्यानां नेत्रेभ्य: प्रापतज्जलम्,दुःशासन आदिके साथ कर्णको तो बड़ा हर्ष हुआ; परंतु अन्य सभासदोंकी आँखोंसे आँसू गिरने लगे
jaharṣa karṇo ’tibhūśaṃ saha duḥśāsanādiśabhiḥ | itareṣāṃ tu sabhyānāṃ netrebhyaḥ prāpatat jalam ||
Vaiśampāyana said: Karṇa, together with Duḥśāsana and the others, was greatly delighted; but from the eyes of the other members of the assembly tears fell.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how moral collapse in a court is revealed by emotional alignment: those invested in wrongdoing feel triumph, while those with remaining dharmic awareness respond with sorrow. It underscores that silence and tears in the face of injustice mark conscience, whereas joy at another’s humiliation marks ethical degradation.
In the Kuru assembly during the Sabha Parva events, Karṇa and Duḥśāsana (with their faction) react with intense delight at what is unfolding, while other courtiers—distressed by the injustice—are moved to tears, indicating a divided court and the tension between power and righteousness.