Shloka 11
कर्णस्य मन्त्रः — Duryodhana-प्रति नीति-विचारः
Karna’s Counsel on Strategy toward the Pāṇḍavas
व्येतु ते मानसं दुःखं क्षत्रिया: स्मो नरर्षभ | पद्मिनीव सुतेयं ते हृदादन्यद्वदं गता,नरश्रेष्ठ अब आपकी मानसिक चिन्ता निकल जानी चाहिये। हम सब लोग क्षत्रिय ही हैं। आपकी यह पुत्री कृष्ण कमलिनीकी भाँति एक सरोवरसे दूसरे सरोवरको प्राप्त हुई है
vyetu te mānasaṃ duḥkhaṃ kṣatriyāḥ smo nararṣabha | padminīva suteyaṃ te hṛdād anyad-ivaṃ gatā ||
โอ้ยอดแห่งบุรุษ ขอความทุกข์ในพระทัยจงคลายไป พวกเราล้วนเป็นกษัตริย์นักรบ พระธิดาของพระองค์ได้จากไปจากพระทัยสู่ผู้อื่น ดุจเถาบัวที่เคลื่อนจากสระหนึ่งไปสู่อีกสระหนึ่ง
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse counsels restraint and composure in grief, grounding the advice in kṣatriya-dharma: a warrior-noble should not be overwhelmed by personal sorrow, especially in matters like a daughter’s departure to another household. The lotus simile underscores impermanence and the natural movement of relationships.
Yudhiṣṭhira addresses a distressed ‘best of men,’ urging him to let go of mental anguish. He frames the situation as appropriate to their social duty and likens the daughter’s leaving to a lotus shifting from one pond to another—suggesting a transition (such as marriage or relocation) rather than a calamity.