Shloka 146

Devanagari script

चेदयश्न महाभागा धर्म जानन्ति शाश्वतम्‌ | “कुरु, पांचाल, शाल्व, मत्स्य, नैमिष, कोसल, काशी, अंग, कलिंग, मगध और चेदिदेशोंके बड़भागी मनुष्य सनातन धर्मको जानते हैं

Transliteration

cedayaś ca mahābhāgā dharmaṃ jānanti śāśvatam | kuru-pāñcāla-śālva-matsya-naimiṣa-kosala-kāśī-aṅga-kaliṅga-magadha-cedideśeṣu ca mahābhāgā manuṣyāḥ sanātanaṃ dharmaṃ jānanti |

Translation

Karna said: “The fortunate people of Cedi know the eternal Dharma. Likewise, the blessed men of the lands of the Kurus, the Panchalas, the Shalvas, the Matsyas, Naimisha, Kosala, Kashi, Anga, Kalinga, Magadha, and Cedi understand the timeless law of righteousness.”

Word by Word

• चेदयः: the Cedis (people of Cedi)
• चेदयः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: चेदि
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• यः: who (those who)
• यः: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: यद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• महाभागाः: very fortunate, illustrious
• महाभागाः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महाभाग
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• धर्मम्: dharma, righteousness
• धर्मम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्म
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• जानन्ति: know
• Type: Verb
• Root: ज्ञा
• Form: Present, Third, Plural, Parasmaipada

• शाश्वतम्: eternal, perpetual
• शाश्वतम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शाश्वत
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

Speaker

कर्ण उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Karna
• Cedi
• Kuru
• Panchala
• Shalva
• Matsya
• Naimisha
• Kosala
• Kashi
• Anga
• Kalinga
• Magadha

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Dharma is presented as śāśvata/sanātana—timeless and knowable—and true nobility (mahābhāga) is linked with recognizing and upholding this enduring moral order.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Karna’s speech during the war context, he invokes respected peoples and regions as exemplars who ‘know’ eternal Dharma, using a broad geographic roll-call to lend authority and weight to his moral claim.