Shloka 17
विक्रमेण मही प्राप्ता भरतेन महात्मना । विक्रमेण च लोकांस्त्रीज्जितवान्ू पाकशासन:,महात्मा भरतने पराक्रमसे ही यह पृथ्वी प्राप्त की। इन्द्रने पराक्रमसे ही तीनों लोकोंपर विजय पायी
vikrameṇa mahī prāptā bharatena mahātmanā | vikrameṇa ca lokāṁs trīn jitavān pākaśāsanaḥ ||
Karna said: “By valor the great-souled Bharata won this earth; and by valor Pākaśāsana (Indra) conquered the three worlds. Sovereignty and fame are attained through heroic effort, not through mere claim or birth.”
कर्ण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse upholds a kṣatriya ethic: rightful sovereignty and renown are grounded in vikrama (personal valor and effort). Exemplars like Bharata and Indra are cited to argue that achievement and authority are earned through prowess rather than merely inherited or asserted.
Karna is speaking and supports his position by invoking famous precedents: Bharata’s acquisition of earthly dominion and Indra’s conquest of the three worlds. The statement functions as a rhetorical justification for striving, contest, and the pursuit of power through demonstrated capability.