Shloka 6
भीष्मस्य दुर्योधनं प्रति कुलहितोपदेशः | Bhīṣma’s Counsel to Duryodhana on Dynastic Welfare
अहं चेत् क्षत्रियो जातो न प्राप्त: क्षत्रसत्क्रियाम् । त्वत्कृते कि नु पापीय: शत्रु: कुर्यान्ममाहितम्
ahaṁ cet kṣatriyo jāto na prāptaḥ kṣatra-satkriyām | tvat-kṛte ki nu pāpīyaḥ śatruḥ kuryān mamāhitam ||
“Though I was born a kṣatriya, I did not obtain the proper kṣatriya rites and recognition. Because of you, what more grievous harm could even an enemy do to me than this?”
कर्ण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how denial of rightful rites and social recognition can be experienced as profound harm—sometimes felt as worse than open hostility—raising ethical questions about responsibility for another’s dignity, identity, and dharmic formation.
Karna, speaking in a charged exchange, complains that despite being born a kṣatriya he was deprived of kṣatriya-appropriate rites and honor due to the person he addresses, and he frames this deprivation as an injury so severe that even an enemy could scarcely surpass it.