Shloka 16
Nara-Nārāyaṇa Precedent and Bhīṣma’s Counsel on Kṛṣṇa–Arjuna; Karṇa’s Reply
एष पारे समुद्रस्यथ हिरण्यपुरमारुजत् । जित्वा षष्टिं सहस्राणि निवातकवचान् रणे
eṣa pāre samudrasya hi hiraṇyapuram ārujat | jitvā ṣaṣṭiṃ sahasrāṇi nivātakavacān raṇe ||
Vaiśampāyana sprach: Er setzte an das ferne Ufer des Ozeans über und zerschmetterte die Stadt namens Hiraṇyapura. Im Kampf besiegte er zuerst sechzigtausend Nivātakavacas und verwüstete dann jene Feste der Daityas jenseits des Meeres.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the idea that extraordinary power and victory in war gain ethical meaning when directed toward removing oppressive or demonic forces; mere conquest is not praised for its own sake, but as part of restoring order against adharma.
The narrator states that the hero went beyond the ocean, defeated sixty thousand Nivātakavacas in battle, and then destroyed their Daitya stronghold named Hiraṇyapura.