Shloka 5
जयद्रथ-निग्रहः — Jayadratha Restrained, Shamed, and Released
सहायद्नचानुरक्तश्न मदर्थ च समुद्यत: । अभिप्रायस्तु मे कश्चित् तं वै शूणु यथातथम्
sahāyadān cānuraktaś ca madarthe ca samudyataḥ | abhiprāyas tu me kaścit taṃ vai śṛṇu yathātatham ||
Vaiśampāyana dit : «Ô Janamejaya, lorsque Karna eut ainsi parlé, le roi Duryodhana lui dit encore : “Pour le meilleur des hommes, dont tu es l’allié et sur qui se fixe ton affection, rien n’est vraiment difficile à obtenir. Tu es toujours prêt pour mon bien. J’ai une intention : écoute-la de ma bouche telle qu’elle est.”»
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how loyalty and capability in an ally can embolden a ruler’s ambitions; ethically, it warns that devotion and readiness for another’s ‘welfare’ can be used to advance plans whose moral quality depends on the intention behind them.
After Karṇa speaks, Duryodhana reassures him of his value as a devoted ally, claims that nothing is difficult with such support, and then announces that he has a specific plan which he will state plainly for Karṇa to hear.