Shloka 8
भीष्मस्य दुर्योधनं प्रति कुलहितोपदेशः | Bhīṣma’s Counsel to Duryodhana on Dynastic Welfare
नवै मम हित पूर्व मातृवच्चेष्टितं त्वया । सा मां सम्बोधयस्यद्य केवलात्महितैषिणी,पूर्वकालमें तुमने माताके समान मेरे हितकी चेष्टा कभी नहीं की और आज केवल अपने हितकी कामना रखकर मुझे मेरे कर्तव्यका उपदेश दे रही हो
na vai mama hitaṃ pūrvaṃ mātṛ-vac ceṣṭitaṃ tvayā | sā māṃ sambodhayasy adya kevalātma-hitaiṣiṇī ||
“Dahulu engkau tidak pernah berusaha demi kesejahteraanku seperti seorang ibu. Namun hari ini, demi kepentinganmu sendiri semata-mata, engkau menasihatiku tentang kewajipanku.”
कर्ण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical tension between timely responsibility and opportunistic counsel: moral advice loses credibility when it is offered late and appears motivated by self-interest rather than genuine care.
In Udyoga Parva, Kunti approaches Karna to persuade him to align with the Pandavas. Karna responds bitterly that she never acted like a mother for his welfare earlier, and that her present instruction seems driven by her own interests.