Shloka 2
कर्णेन युधिष्ठिरानीकविदारणम् / Karṇa’s Breach of Yudhiṣṭhira’s Battle-Line
तवातिसर्गाद् देवेश प्राजापत्यमिदं पदम् | मयाधितिष्ठता दत्तो दानवेभ्यो महान् वर:
tavātisargād deveśa prājāpatyam idaṁ padam | mayādhiṣṭhitā dattō dānavebhyo mahān varaḥ ||
Duryodhana berkata: “Wahai Tuan segala dewa! Oleh kemurahanmu yang luar biasa, kedudukan kedaulatan ini—yang berakar pada titah Prajāpati—telah dianugerahkan kepadaku untuk kupegang; dan suatu anugerah besar juga telah dikurniakan kepada kaum Dānava.”
दुर्योधन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how claims to legitimacy can be framed as divinely sanctioned ‘boons’ and inherited cosmic order (prājāpatya). Ethically, it invites scrutiny of whether power justified by divine favor is truly aligned with dharma, especially in a war driven by ambition and rivalry.
In Karṇa Parva, Duryodhana speaks in a self-justifying, rallying tone, addressing a divine ‘Lord of the gods’ and asserting that his position and his side’s advantage come from a great boon and from a status grounded in Prajāpati’s order—strengthening morale and portraying his cause as sanctioned.