Shloka 293
Aśvatthāman’s Arrow-Screen and the Confrontation with Yudhiṣṭhira (द्रौणि–युधिष्ठिर-संग्रामः)
मद्रके संगतं नास्ति मद्रको हि सदामल: । मद्रनिवासीके साथ न तो वैर करे और न मित्रता ही स्थापित करे, क्योंकि उसमें सौहार्दकी भावना नहीं होती। मद्रनिवासी सदा पापमें ही डूबा रहता है
madrake saṅgataṃ nāsti madrako hi sadāmalaḥ |
Karna berkata: “Dengan orang Madra tiada persahabatan yang sejati; kerana orang Madraka itu sentiasa tercemar. Maka janganlah seseorang menjalin permusuhan, dan jangan pula menegakkan persahabatan dengan penduduk Madra, kerana mereka tidak memiliki budi muhibah yang tulen dan tetap tenggelam dalam kejahatan.”
कर्ण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse warns against forming close bonds—whether friendship or enmity—with those portrayed as lacking goodwill and moral steadiness, implying that association should be guided by discernment of character and ethical reliability.
Karna is speaking in the Karna Parva and delivers a harsh, generalized judgement about the people of Madra, using it as counsel about whom to associate with during the tense, conflict-driven circumstances of the war narrative.