Shloka 5

Devanagari script

अथ दुर्योधन: कर्ण: शकुनिश्चापि सौबल: । मिथ: संगम्य सहिता: पाण्डवान्‌ प्रति मानिन:,यह सुनकर दुर्योधन, कर्ण और सुबलपुत्र शकुनि, जो बड़े ही अभिमानी थे, पाण्डवोंसे बदला लेनेके लिये परस्पर मिलकर सलाह करने लगे। फिर उन सबने बड़ी उतावलीके साथ विचित्रवीर्यनन्दन मनीषी राजा धृतराष्ट्रके पास जाकर मधुर वाणीमें कहा

Transliteration

atha duryodhanaḥ karṇaḥ śakuniś cāpi saubalaḥ | mithaḥ saṅgamya sahitāḥ pāṇḍavān prati māninaḥ ||

Translation

Then Duryodhana, Karṇa, and Śakuni—the son of Subala—proud and self-assertive, met together in private and began to deliberate against the Pāṇḍavas, seeking retaliation.

Word by Word

• [{'term': 'atha', 'definition': 'then

• thereupon (marks a new narrative turn)'}, {'term': 'duryodhanaḥ', 'definition': 'Duryodhana (eldest Kaurava prince)'}, {'term': 'karṇaḥ', 'definition': 'Karṇa (ally of Duryodhana

• famed archer)'}, {'term': 'śakuniḥ', 'definition': 'Śakuni (maternal uncle of the Kauravas

• strategist)'}, {'term': 'saubalaḥ', 'definition': 'son of Subala

• epithet of Śakuni'}, {'term': 'mithaḥ', 'definition': 'mutually

• in private consultation'}, {'term': 'saṅgamya', 'definition': 'having met

• having come together (absolutive)'}, {'term': 'sahitāḥ', 'definition': 'together

• acting in concert'}, {'term': 'pāṇḍavān prati', 'definition': 'toward/against the Pāṇḍavas'}, {'term': 'māninaḥ', 'definition': 'proud

Speaker

दुःशासन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Duryodhana
• Karṇa
• Śakuni
• Subala
• Pāṇḍavas

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how pride (māna) and resentment can unite people into harmful alliances. Ethically, it warns that counsel driven by ego and vengeance tends to undermine dharma and leads to escalating injustice.

What is happening in the narrative?

Duryodhana, Karṇa, and Śakuni meet together and confer, directing their plans against the Pāṇḍavas. This signals coordinated Kaurava strategy and the intensification of hostility through calculated plotting.