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 ||
जैसे दुर्योधन हमारे लिए पौत्र के समान है, वैसे ही तुम भी हो। धर्म के अनुसार हम सब तुम्हारे प्रति भी वैसे ही हैं जैसे उसके प्रति हैं।
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.