Shloka 8
Adhyāya 2: Nārada’s Disclosure—Karṇa’s Training and the Brahmin’s Curse (Śānti-parva)
स सख्यमकरोद् बाल्ये राज्ञा दुर्योधनेन च । युष्माभिनित्यसंद्विष्टो दैवाच्चापि स्वभावत:
sa sakhyam akarod bālye rājñā duryodhanena ca | yuṣmābhinityasaṃdviṣṭo daivāc cāpi svabhāvataḥ ||
Narada said: In his boyhood he formed a friendship with King Duryodhana. Yet he has always been hostile toward you—both by the force of fate and by his own nature.
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights that enduring hostility can arise from a combination of early-formed alliances, destiny (daiva), and ingrained personal disposition (svabhāva). Ethically, it warns that character and chosen companionship strongly condition later conduct, and that recognizing these forces is crucial for prudent, dharmic decision-making.
Nārada explains that the person under discussion became friends with Duryodhana in childhood and, as a result of fate and innate temperament, has remained consistently antagonistic toward the addressed party ('you' in plural). It is a contextual clarification of why reconciliation or trust may be difficult.