Previous Verse
Next Verse

Shloka 31

कर्णेन सैन्यस्थापनं तथा नानायुद्धसमवायः

Karna Reforms the Host and Multiple Duels Converge

पांचाल, कौरव, नैमिष और मत्स्यदेशोंके निवासी धर्मको जानते हैं। उत्तर, अंग तथा मगधदेशोंके वृद्ध पुरुष शास्त्रोक्त धर्मोका आश्रय लेकर जीवन निर्वाह करते हैं ।।

Pāñcāla, Kaurava, Naimiṣa ca Matsyadeśe nivāsinaḥ dharmaṃ jānanti. Uttara, Aṅga tathā Magadhadeśe vṛddhāḥ puruṣāḥ śāstroktadharmān āśritya jīvanaṃ nirvahanti. Prācīṃ diśaṃ śritā devā jātavedāḥ purogamāḥ; dakṣiṇāṃ pitaro guptāṃ Yamena śubhakarmaṇā.

Karna sagt, dass die Menschen von Panchala, die Kauravas, die von Naimiṣa und die Bewohner des Matsya-Landes den Dharma verstehen. In den nördlichen Gegenden sowie in Aṅga und Magadha erhalten die Ältesten ihr Leben, indem sie beim in den Schriften gelehrten Dharma Zuflucht nehmen. Ferner ruft er die kosmische Ordnung in Erinnerung: Die Götter weilen im Osten, von Agni (Jātavedas) angeführt; der Süden hingegen—von Yama durch seine gerechte Herrschaft behütet—ist das Reich der Pitṛs, der Ahnen.

प्राचीम्eastern (direction)
प्राचीम्:
Karma
TypeAdjective
Rootप्राची
FormFeminine, Accusative, Singular
दिशम्direction
दिशम्:
Karma
TypeNoun
Rootदिश्
FormFeminine, Accusative, Singular
श्रिताःhaving resorted to / dwelling in
श्रिताः:
Karta
TypeVerb
Rootश्रि
FormMasculine, Nominative, Plural, क्त (past passive participle), used actively
देवाःthe gods
देवाः:
Karta
TypeNoun
Rootदेव
FormMasculine, Nominative, Plural
जातवेदःJātavedas (Agni)
जातवेदः:
Karta
TypeNoun
Rootजातवेदस्
FormMasculine, Nominative, Singular
पुरोगमाःhaving (him) in front / led by (Agni)
पुरोगमाः:
Karta
TypeAdjective
Rootपुरोगम
FormMasculine, Nominative, Plural
दक्षिणाम्southern (direction)
दक्षिणाम्:
Karma
TypeAdjective
Rootदक्षिणा
FormFeminine, Accusative, Singular
पितरःthe Pitṛs (manes/ancestors)
पितरः:
Karta
TypeNoun
Rootपितृ
FormMasculine, Nominative, Plural
गुप्ताम्protected/guarded
गुप्ताम्:
Karma
TypeAdjective
Rootगुप्त
FormFeminine, Accusative, Singular, क्त (past passive participle)
यमेनby Yama
यमेन:
Karana
TypeNoun
Rootयम
FormMasculine, Instrumental, Singular
शुभकर्मणाby auspicious deed/virtue
शुभकर्मणा:
Karana
TypeNoun
Rootशुभकर्मन्
FormNeuter, Instrumental, Singular

कर्ण उवाच

K
Karna
P
Panchala
K
Kauravas
N
Naimisha
M
Matsya
U
Uttara (northern region)
A
Anga
M
Magadha
D
Devas
J
Jātavedas (Agni)
P
Pitṛs (ancestors)
Y
Yama
P
Prācī diśā (East)
D
Dakṣiṇā diśā (South)

Educational Q&A

Dharma is not merely personal preference but a scripturally grounded way of life upheld by elders and mirrored in the cosmos: gods, ancestors, and guardians of directions each have their ordained spheres, implying that human society too should follow established righteous order.

Karna is speaking and cites various regions and peoples as knowing and living by dharma, then invokes a traditional cosmological mapping—Agni leading the gods in the East and Yama guarding the South with the ancestors—to reinforce the authority and universality of dharma.