Shloka 12
अध्याय ४ — भीष्मेन कर्णोत्साहनम्
Bhīṣma’s Encouragement of Karṇa
भवान् पौत्रसमो<स्माकं यथा दुर्योधनस्तथा । तवापि धर्मत: सर्वे यथा तस्य वयं तथा
bhavān pautrasamo 'smākaṃ yathā duryodhanas tathā | tavāpi dharmataḥ sarve yathā tasya vayaṃ tathā ||
ਜਿਵੇਂ ਦੁਰਯੋਧਨ ਸਾਡੇ ਲਈ ਪੌਤ੍ਰ ਸਮਾਨ ਹੈ, ਤਿਵੇਂ ਤੂੰ ਵੀ ਹੈਂ। ਧਰਮ ਅਨੁਸਾਰ ਅਸੀਂ ਸਭ ਤੇਰੇ ਪ੍ਰਤੀ ਵੀ ਓਹੋ ਜਿਹੇ ਹਾਂ ਜਿਹੇ ਉਸ ਦੇ ਪ੍ਰਤੀ ਹਾਂ।
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames ethical obligation (dharma) through kinship: one should extend the same rightful regard and responsibility to a person treated as family as one does to an actual family member, emphasizing impartial duty rather than convenience.
Sañjaya addresses someone regarded by the Kuru elders as a ‘grandson-like’ figure, asserting that, in terms of dharma, their relationship and obligations toward him are the same as toward Duryodhana—underscoring familial bonds and duty amid the tensions of the war narrative.