Shloka 5

Devanagari script

दुःशासनं च कर्ण च शकुनिं चापि सौबलम्‌

Transliteration

duḥśāsanaṃ ca karṇaṃ ca śakuniṃ cāpi saubalam

Translation

Dijo Vaiśampāyana: «(Nombró a) Duḥśāsana, a Karṇa y también a Śakuni, hijo de Subala». Este verso pone en primer plano a agentes decisivos del consejo y de la hostilidad, cuyas elecciones agravan la ruina moral que conduce a la guerra.

Word by Word

दुःशासनम्Duhshasana

चand

कर्णम्Karna

चand

शकुनिम्Shakuni

चand

अपिalso/even

सौबलम्the Saubala (son of Subala; i.e., Shakuni)

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Duḥśāsana

Karṇa

Śakuni

Subala

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how influential figures—especially counselors and powerful allies—shape a ruler’s moral trajectory. Naming these agents underscores that adharma often advances through collective complicity: when strength (Karṇa), aggression (Duḥśāsana), and cunning counsel (Śakuni) align, ethical restraint erodes and conflict becomes more likely.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana is listing specific individuals—Duḥśāsana, Karṇa, and Śakuni (Saubala)—as part of an enumeration in the Udyoga Parva context, where alignments, counsel, and preparations surrounding the impending Kurukṣetra war are being described.