Shloka 15
Adhyāya 203 — Tilottamā-sṛṣṭiḥ
Creation and Commissioning of Tilottamā
न मित्राण्यर्थकृच्छेषु श्रेयसे चेतराय वा । विधिपूर्व हि सर्वस्य दु:खं वा यदि वा सुखम्,मित्र भी अर्थसंकटके समय अथवा किसी कामकी कठिनाई आ पड़नेपर न तो कल्याण कर सकते हैं और न अकल्याण ही। सभीके लिये दुःख या सुखकी प्राप्ति भाग्यके अनुसार ही होती है
na mitrāṇy arthakṛccheṣu śreyase cetarāya vā | vidhipūrvaṃ hi sarvasya duḥkhaṃ vā yadi vā sukham ||
Karna disse: “Em tempos de aperto financeiro, os amigos não são, de fato, capazes de produzir nem o bem nem o mal de alguém. Para todos, sofrimento ou felicidade chegam conforme o que o destino ordenou.”
कर्ण उवाच
Educational Q&A
Karna emphasizes a fatalistic ethic: in crises, friends are limited in their power to secure benefit or cause harm; ultimately, happiness and suffering arise according to vidhi (what is ordained).
Karna is speaking in Adi Parva, framing the situation through the lens of destiny: he downplays the practical efficacy of allies in moments of hardship and interprets outcomes as governed by fate rather than interpersonal support.