Shloka 37
आत्मानं मन्यते वीरं येन पाप: सुयोधन: । तमद्य मूलं पापानां जहि सौतिं धनंजय,धनंजय! जिसके साथ होनेसे पापी दुर्योधन अपनेको वीर मानता है, वह सूतपुत्र कर्ण ही सारे पापोंकी जड़ है; अत: आज तुम उसे मार डालो
ātmānaṃ manyate vīraṃ yena pāpaḥ suyodhanaḥ | tam adya mūlaṃ pāpānāṃ jahi sautiṃ dhanañjaya dhanañjaya ||
Vāyu bersabda: “Kerana dialah si berdosa Suyodhana (Duryodhana) menyangka dirinya wira. Karṇa, anak kusir itu, ialah akar segala kezaliman ini. Maka hari ini, wahai Dhanañjaya, tewaskanlah Sūti!”
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames moral causality in war: a single powerful ally can become the enabling ‘root’ of widespread wrongdoing by inflaming an unjust leader’s confidence. Ethically, it presents a strategic-dharmic argument—removing the chief enabler of adharma is portrayed as necessary to curb further harm.
Vāyudeva addresses Arjuna (Dhanañjaya) during the Karna Parva, urging him to kill Karna. The rationale given is that Duryodhana’s sense of heroism and persistence in sinful conduct is sustained by Karna’s support; therefore Karna is identified as the principal source sustaining the Kaurava wrongdoing.