Shloka 12
अध्याय ४ — भीष्मेन कर्णोत्साहनम्
Bhīṣma’s Encouragement of Karṇa
भवान् पौत्रसमो<स्माकं यथा दुर्योधनस्तथा । तवापि धर्मत: सर्वे यथा तस्य वयं तथा
bhavān pautrasamo 'smākaṃ yathā duryodhanas tathā | tavāpi dharmataḥ sarve yathā tasya vayaṃ tathā ||
Sañjaya dit : «Pour nous, tu es comme un petit-fils, tout comme Duryodhana. Selon la règle du dharma, nous sommes tous envers toi comme nous le sommes envers lui.»
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames ethical obligation (dharma) through kinship: one should extend the same rightful regard and responsibility to a person treated as family as one does to an actual family member, emphasizing impartial duty rather than convenience.
Sañjaya addresses someone regarded by the Kuru elders as a ‘grandson-like’ figure, asserting that, in terms of dharma, their relationship and obligations toward him are the same as toward Duryodhana—underscoring familial bonds and duty amid the tensions of the war narrative.