Shloka 19
कर्णेन युधिष्ठिरानीकविदारणम् / Karṇa’s Breach of Yudhiṣṭhira’s Battle-Line
रथं वसुन्धरां देवीं विशालपुरमालिनीम्
rathaṁ vasundharāṁ devīṁ viśālapuramālinīm
Duryodhana invokes and describes the sacred Earth as the goddess Vasundharā, adorned with vast cities, while also alluding to the chariot as the immediate instrument of war. The line blends reverence for the sustaining ground of all beings with the grim reality that the same earth bears the burden of battle, reminding the listener that power and conquest rest upon what is ultimately divine and shared by all.
दुर्योधन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even amid warfare, the text can frame foundational realities—like the Earth that supports all life—as divine. This juxtaposition highlights an ethical tension: rulers seek victory using chariots and weapons, yet they act upon a sacred, shared ground that demands restraint, accountability, and awareness of dharma.
In Karṇa Parva, Duryodhana is speaking in the context of the ongoing Kurukṣetra battle. This line functions as a descriptive invocation: he refers to the chariot and to the Earth as the goddess Vasundharā, portrayed as splendid with great cities—evoking both the grandeur of the realm at stake and the sacredness of the world that bears the war.