Shloka 16
कर्णेन सैन्यस्थापनं तथा नानायुद्धसमवायः
Karna Reforms the Host and Multiple Duels Converge
आ मत्स्येभ्य: कुरुपज्चालदेश्या आ नैमिषाच्चेदयो ये विशिष्टा: । धर्म पुराणमुपजीवन्ति सन््तो मद्रानृते पाउ्चनदांश्व जिह्मान्,'भिन्न-भिन्न देशोंमें बाहीकनिवासियोंको छोड़कर प्राय: सर्वत्र श्रेष्ठ पुरुष उपलब्ध होते हैं। मत्स्यसे लेकर कुरु और पांचाल देशतक, नैमिषारण्यसे लेकर चेदिदेशतक जो लोग निवास करते हैं, वे सभी श्रेष्ठ एवं साधु पुरुष हैं और प्राचीन धर्मका आश्रय लेकर जीवननिर्वाह करते हैं। मद्र और पंचनद प्रदेशोंमें ऐसी बात नहीं है। वहाँके लोग कुटिल होते हैं!
ā matsyebhyaḥ kurupañcāladeśyā ā naimiṣāc cedayo ye viśiṣṭāḥ | dharma-purāṇam upajīvanti santaḥ madrān ṛte pañcanadāṁś ca jihmān ||
Karna said: “Except for the Madras and the people of the Panchnada region, noble men are found almost everywhere. From the Matsyas up to the lands of the Kurus and the Panchalas, and from Naimisha to the Chedis—those who dwell there are distinguished and virtuous; they sustain their lives by relying on the ancient dharma. But it is not so among the Madras and the Panchnadas; the people there are crooked in conduct.”
कर्ण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse contrasts communities said to uphold ‘ancient dharma’ with those portrayed as morally ‘crooked,’ using geography to frame a claim about ethical conduct and social reputation.
Karna is speaking and makes a sweeping assessment of different regions and peoples, praising many as virtuous adherents of old dharma while explicitly excluding the Madras and the Panchnada region, whom he condemns as deceitful.