Shloka 38

Devanagari script

दुर्योधनं निशान्ते च कर्णो वैकर्तनो<ब्रवीत्‌ । स्मयन्निवाञ्जलिं कृत्वा पार्थिव हेतुमद्‌ वच:,वह रात बीतनेपर सूर्यपुत्र कर्णने आकर राजा दुर्योधनसे हाथ जोड़ मुसकराते हुए यह युक्तियुक्त वचन कहा--

Transliteration

duryodhanaṃ niśānte ca karṇo vaikartano 'bravīt | smayann ivāñjaliṃ kṛtvā pārthiva hetumad vacaḥ ||

Translation

Saat fajar menyingsing, Karṇa Vaikartana berbicara kepada Raja Duryodhana. Sambil tersenyum dan menyatukan telapak tangan sebagai salam hormat, ia mengucapkan kata-kata yang beralasan dan bertujuan.

Word by Word

दुर्योधनम्Duryodhana (as object, to Duryodhana)

निशान्तेat the end of the night (at dawn)

चand

कर्णःKarna

वैकर्तनःVaikartana (Karna, son of the cutter/Adhiratha lineage epithet)

अब्रवीत्said/spoke

स्मयन्smiling

इवas if

अञ्जलिम्joined hands (añjali gesture)

कृत्वाhaving done/made

पार्थिवO king

हेतुमत्reasoned, well-grounded

वचःspeech/words

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Duryodhana

Karna (Vaikartana)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how counsel is often delivered with a blend of etiquette and intent: respectful gestures (añjali) and a pleasant demeanor (smiling) can accompany strategically motivated, reasoned advice (hetumad vacaḥ). It invites reflection on the ethics of persuasion—how form and motive interact in political speech.

What is happening in the narrative?

At dawn, Karna approaches and addresses King Duryodhana. With a courteous salutation and a smile, he begins to present a calculated, reasoned proposal—setting up the next lines where his advice or plan will be stated.