Shloka 27
उसके मनमें लोभ था और वह राज्यका सारा लाभ स्वयं ही भोगना चाहता था, इसलिये उसने दूसरे किसीको अपने स्वार्थका सहायक या साझीदार नहीं बनाया। एक ओर धारवाली तलवारके समान अपनी ही बुद्धिसे सदा काम लिया। प्रायः जो अनाचारी मनुष्य थे, उन्हींका निरन्तर साथ किया ।। यस्य दुःशासनो मन्त्री राधेयश्व दुरात्मवान् । शकुनिश्चैव दुष्टात्मा चित्रसेनश्व दुर्मति:
yasya duḥśāsano mantrī rādheyaś ca durātmavān | śakuniś caiva duṣṭātmā citrasenaś ca durmatiḥ ||
He was driven by greed and wished to enjoy the entire profit of kingship alone; therefore he made no one else a helper or partner in his self-interest. Like a sharp-edged sword, he relied only on his own counsel, and he kept company chiefly with men of corrupt conduct. Of such a man, Duḥśāsana was the minister; and Rādheya (Karna), wicked-souled; and Śakuni too, of depraved nature; and Citrasena, of perverse intellect.
वैशमग्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler’s downfall is accelerated by greed and by choosing immoral advisers: corrupt company and self-serving counsel (mantra) distort judgment, leading to adharma and ruin.
Vaiśaṃpāyana characterizes the Kaurava leadership’s moral environment after the war, naming the chief associates—Duḥśāsana, Karṇa (Rādheya), Śakuni, and Citrasena—as emblematic of the wicked counsel and companionship that shaped the course of events.