Shloka 11
Ādi-parva Adhyāya 132 — Duryodhana’s Instructions to Purocana at Vāraṇāvata
Lākṣāgṛha Planning
वृष्णयश्चान्धकाश्रैव नानादेश्याश्न पार्थिवा: | सूतपुत्रश्न राधेयो गुरु द्रोणमियात् तदा,वृष्णिवंशी तथा अन्धकवंशी क्षत्रिय, नाना देशोंके राजकुमार तथा राधानन्दन सूतपुत्र कर्ण--ये सभी आचार्य द्रोणके पास (अस्त्र-शिक्षा लेनेके लिये) आये
vṛṣṇayaścāndhakāścaiva nānādeśyāś ca pārthivāḥ | sūtaputraś ca rādhēyo guruṃ droṇam iyāt tadā ||
Vaiśampāyana said: The Vṛṣṇis and the Andhakas, along with princes from many different lands, and Rādheya—Karna, the son of a charioteer—then approached their teacher Droṇa to receive instruction in the science of weapons.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the dharmic ideal that kṣatriya power must be disciplined through formal training under a qualified guru. It also foregrounds the ethical tension between social identity (e.g., 'sūtaputra') and merit in learning, a theme that later becomes significant in Karṇa’s life.
Various royal youths—Vṛṣṇis, Andhakas, and princes from many regions—arrive to study under Droṇa. Karṇa (Rādheya), identified as a charioteer’s son, also comes at that time to seek instruction in weapons.