Shloka 44
रात्रौ युद्धप्रवृत्तिः — Night Battle Begins; Duryodhana’s Protective Orders for Droṇa
Droṇa-parva 139
यच्च कर्णोडब्रवीत् कृष्णां सभायां परुषं वच: । प्रमुखे पाण्डुपुत्राणां तव चैव विशाम्पते
yac ca karṇo 'bravīt kṛṣṇāṃ sabhāyāṃ paruṣaṃ vacaḥ | pramukhe pāṇḍuputrāṇāṃ tava caiva viśāmpate ||
Sañjaya dit : «Et les paroles dures que Karṇa adressa à Kṛṣṇā dans l’assemblée royale—prononcées en présence même des fils de Pāṇḍu, et devant toi aussi, ô seigneur des peuples—(tout cela me revient à l’esprit à présent).»
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Cruel speech in a public forum—especially against the vulnerable—violates dharma and creates lasting moral debt. The verse also highlights the ethical failure of bystanders and rulers: wrongdoing intensifies when witnessed and left unchecked.
Sañjaya reminds Dhṛtarāṣṭra of Karṇa’s earlier insult to Draupadī in the assembly, spoken before the Pāṇḍavas and the king himself. The recollection functions as a moral backdrop in the war narrative, linking present suffering to prior injustice.