Shloka 136

Rāmopākhyāna—Rāma–Sītā Origins and the Opening of Rāvaṇa’s Genealogy

Devanagari script

राजसू[यं क्रतुश्रेष्ठं चिन्‍्तयामास कौरव: । भरतकुलभूषण! महाराज! ऐसा कहकर दुर्योधनने कर्णको छातीसे लगा लिया और क्रतुश्रेष्ठ रजसूयका चिन्तन करने लगा

Transliteration

rājasūyaṃ kratuśreṣṭhaṃ cintayāmāsa kauravaḥ | bharatakula-bhūṣaṇa mahārāja iti bruvan duryodhanaḥ karṇaṃ vakṣasā pariṣvajya rājasūya-kratuśreṣṭhaṃ punaś cintayāmāsa |

Translation

Vaiśampāyana nói: Vị Kaurava (Duryodhana), nói xong như thế, liền ôm Karṇa vào ngực và lại bắt đầu trầm ngâm về lễ Rājasūya—cuộc tế tối thượng trong các tế lễ của bậc vương giả.

Word by Word

• राजसूयम्: the Rājasūya (sacrifice)
• राजसूयम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजसूय
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• क्रतुश्रेष्ठम्: the best of sacrifices
• क्रतुश्रेष्ठम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: क्रतुश्रेष्ठ
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• चिन्तयामास: he thought/pondered
• चिन्तयामास: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: चिन्त्
• Form: Periphrastic Perfect (Liṭ), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

• कौरवः: the Kaurava (Duryodhana)
• कौरवः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: कौरव
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• Duryodhana
• Karṇa
• Rājasūya (sacrifice)
• Kaurava
• Bharata lineage

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores how the pursuit of status and sovereignty (symbolized by the Rājasūya) can become an obsessive drive; even sincere bonds of friendship may be drawn into, and used to reinforce, ethically fraught ambitions.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana narrates that Duryodhana, after speaking, embraces Karṇa warmly and then turns his mind again to the Rājasūya sacrifice—signaling renewed focus on achieving royal preeminence.