Shloka 6

“जब राजा दुर्योधनने तुम्हारी ही सलाह लेकर भीमसेनको जहर मिलाया हुआ अन्न खिलाया और उन्हें सर्पोंसे डँसवाया, उस समय तुम्हारा धर्म कहाँ गया था? ।। यद्‌ वारणावते पार्थान्‌ सुप्ताज्जतुगृहे तदा । आदीपयस्त्वं राधेय कक्‍्व ते धर्मस्तदा गत:,'राधानन्दन! उन दिनों वारणावतनगरमें लाक्षाभवनके भीतर सोये हुए कुन्तीकुमारोंको जब तुमने जलानेका प्रयत्न कराया था, उस समय तुम्हारा धर्म कहाँ गया था?

sañjaya uvāca |

yadā rājā duryodhanas tavaiva mantrām ādāya bhīmasenāya viṣadattaṃ bhaktaṃ prāśayām āsa, sarpaiś ca daṃśayām āsa, tadā te dharmaḥ kva gataḥ? |

yad vāraṇāvate pārthān suptān jātugṛhe tadā ādīpayas tvaṃ rādheya, kva te dharmas tadā gataḥ? ||

Sañjaya dit : «Lorsque le roi Duryodhana, suivant ton propre conseil, fit manger à Bhīmasena une nourriture mêlée de poison et le fit mordre par des serpents, où donc était passé ton dharma alors ? Et lorsque, à Vāraṇāvata, tu cherchas à brûler les Pārtha endormis dans la maison de laque—ô fils de Rādhā—où était ton dharma en ce temps-là ?»

yadwhen/that (relative)
yad:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootyad
Formrelative particle (indeclinable)
vāraṇāvatein Vāraṇāvata
vāraṇāvate:
Adhikarana
TypeNoun
Rootvāraṇāvata
Formneuter, locative, singular
pārthānthe Pārthas (sons of Pṛthā/Kuntī)
pārthān:
Karma
TypeNoun
Rootpārtha
Formmasculine, accusative, plural
suptātfrom (their state of) sleep / while asleep
suptāt:
Apadana
TypeAdjective
Rootsupta
Formmasculine, ablative, plural
jatu-gṛhein the lac-house
jatu-gṛhe:
Adhikarana
TypeNoun
Rootjatu-gṛha
Formneuter, locative, singular
tadāthen/at that time
tadā:
TypeIndeclinable
Roottadā
Formtemporal adverb (indeclinable)
ādīpayasyou caused to burn / you tried to set on fire
ādīpayas:
TypeVerb
Rootā-dīp
Formimperfect (laṅ), parasmaipada, 2nd person, singular
tvamyou
tvam:
Karta
TypePronoun
Roottvad
Formmasculine, nominative, singular
rādheyaO Rādheya (Karna)
rādheya:
TypeNoun
Rootrādheya
Formmasculine, vocative, singular
kvawhere?
kva:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootkva
Forminterrogative adverb (indeclinable)
teyour
te:
TypePronoun
Roottvad
Formgenitive, singular
dharmaḥdharma/righteousness
dharmaḥ:
Karta
TypeNoun
Rootdharma
Formmasculine, nominative, singular
tadāthen/at that time
tadā:
TypeIndeclinable
Roottadā
Formtemporal adverb (indeclinable)
gataḥgone
gataḥ:
TypeAdjective
Rootgata
Formmasculine, nominative, singular; past passive participle (√gam)

संजय उवाच

S
Sañjaya
D
Duryodhana
B
Bhīmasena
K
Karṇa (Rādheya/Rādhānandana)
P
Pārthas (Pāṇḍavas/Kuntīputras)
V
Vāraṇāvata
J
Jātugṛha (lac house)
P
Poisoned food
S
Serpents

Educational Q&A

The verse presses moral accountability: one cannot claim dharma in the present while having earlier endorsed or enabled adharma—especially covert violence like poisoning and arson. Counsel given to a king carries ethical responsibility for the outcomes.

Sañjaya recalls two earlier crimes attributed to Duryodhana and linked to Karṇa’s counsel: (1) feeding Bhīma poisoned food and arranging serpent-bites, and (2) attempting to burn the sleeping Pāṇḍavas in the lac-house at Vāraṇāvata. He challenges Karṇa: where was your dharma then?