Shloka 7
Adhyāya 2: Nārada’s Disclosure—Karṇa’s Training and the Brahmin’s Curse (Śānti-parva)
सख्यं च वासुदेवेन बाल्ये गाण्डीवधन्चन: । प्रजानामनुरागं च चिन्तयानो व्यदह्त
sakhyaṃ ca vāsudevena bālye gāṇḍīvadhanvanaḥ | prajānām anurāgaṃ ca cintayāno vyadahad rājendra ||
اے راجندر! گاندیو بردار دھننجے (ارجن) کی واسودیو (شری کرشن) سے بچپن کی دوستی اور پاندوؤں کے لیے رعایا کی گہری محبت—ان سب پر غور کرتے ہوئے وہ فکر میں ڈوبا اندر ہی اندر جلتا رہتا تھا۔
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how virtue, capability, strong alliances, and public goodwill create legitimate authority—yet these same strengths can provoke envy in rivals. Ethically, it warns that jealousy arises from comparing oneself to others’ excellence, and that a ruler should master such inner fires rather than be driven by them.
Nārada describes a person (in context, a rival of the Pāṇḍavas) who becomes inwardly tormented after reflecting on the Pāṇḍavas’ advantages: Bhīma’s power, Arjuna’s agility, the addressee-king’s intelligence, Nakula and Sahadeva’s humility, Arjuna’s early friendship with Kṛṣṇa, and the people’s affection for the Pāṇḍavas.