Shloka 14
Chapter 61: Karṇa’s martial assurances and Bhīṣma’s strategic rebuttal in the Kuru assembly
वैशम्पायन उवाच इत्येवमुक्त्वा स महाधनुष्मान् हित्वा सभां स्व॑ं भवनं जगाम । भीष्मस्तु दुर्योधनमेव राजन् मध्ये कुरूणां प्रहसन्नुवाच
vaiśampāyana uvāca |
ity evam uktvā sa mahādhanusmān hitvā sabhāṃ svaṃ bhavanaṃ jagāma |
bhīṣmas tu duryodhanam eva rājan madhye kurūṇāṃ prahasan uvāca ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “Having spoken thus, that mighty archer (Karna) left the assembly and went to his own residence. Then Bhīṣma, in the midst of the Kurus, spoke to Duryodhana with a derisive smile—mocking him before the court.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical weight of public speech in a royal court: mockery and derision (prahasan) can deepen factional pride and hostility, while elders’ words—especially Bhīṣma’s—carry moral authority and can expose folly. It also shows how personal honor and public humiliation shape decisions that lead toward conflict.
After making a statement (in the preceding context), Karna—described as a great archer—leaves the Kuru assembly and returns home. Immediately afterward, Bhīṣma, before the assembled Kurus, turns to Duryodhana and begins speaking with a mocking smile, setting up a pointed rebuke or critique directed at Duryodhana’s stance.