Shloka 28
Nara-Nārāyaṇa Precedent and Bhīṣma’s Counsel on Kṛṣṇa–Arjuna; Karṇa’s Reply
दुर्जाते: सूतपुत्रस्य शकुने: सौबलस्य च । तथा क्षुद्रस्य पापस्य भ्रातुर्द:शासनस्य च
vaiśampāyana uvāca | durjāteḥ sūtaputrasya śakuneḥ saubalasya ca | tathā kṣudrasya pāpasya bhrātur duḥśāsanasya ca, bharataśreṣṭha! eka tvam eva tādṛśo 'si, yaḥ paraśurāmeṇa abhiśaptaṃ khotijātiṃ sūtaputraṃ karṇaṃ ca subalaputraṃ śakuniṃ ca nīcaṃ pāpātmānaṃ bhrātaraṃ duḥśāsanaṃ ca—eteṣāṃ trayāṇāṃ matam anumodayaṃś ca anusarāṃś ca bhavasi |
Vaiśampāyana disse: «Ó melhor dos Bhāratas, só tu és um homem assim—aquele que aprova e segue o conselho de três: Karṇa, o filho do cocheiro, de nascimento funesto e amaldiçoado por Paraśurāma; Śakuni, filho de Subala; e teu próprio irmão Duḥśāsana, vil e pecaminoso. Ao te alinhares com as suas opiniões, escolhes um caminho que aprofunda o mal e empurra a casa de Kuru para a ruína.»
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse warns that endorsing and imitating the counsel of morally compromised figures leads to ethical collapse. It highlights personal accountability: one becomes responsible not only for one’s own acts but also for the choices of advisers one empowers.
In the Udyoga Parva’s pre-war negotiations and counsel, the narrator reports a rebuke aimed at a Kuru leader (implicitly Duryodhana): he is singled out for approving and following the opinions of Karṇa, Śakuni, and Duḥśāsana—figures portrayed as driving the Kurus toward unjust war.