Shloka 36
जतुगृहदाहः — The Burning of the Lac House and the Pāṇḍavas’ Concealed Escape
यद्ययं फाल्गुनो युद्धे नाराज्ञा योद्धुमिच्छति । तस्मादेषो5ड्भविषये मया राज्येडभिषिच्यते,यदि ये अर्जुन राजासे भिन्न पुरुषके साथ रणभूमिमें लड़ना नहीं चाहते तो मैं कर्णको इसी समय अंगदेशके राज्यपर अभिषिक्त करता हूँ
yady ayaṃ phālguno yuddhe nārājñā yoddhum icchati | tasmād eṣo 'ṅgaviṣaye mayā rājye 'bhiṣicyate ||
Duryodhana said: “If this Phālguna (Arjuna) does not wish to fight in battle with one who is not a king, then for that reason I hereby consecrate this man to kingship in the realm of Aṅga.” In context, Duryodhana strategically elevates Karṇa’s status to remove the stigma of ‘non-royal’ birth, legitimizing him as an equal opponent for Arjuna and turning a question of social rank into a political instrument for rivalry and war.
दुर्योधन उवाच