Shloka 12
Nala’s Embassy to Damayantī and the Gods’ Proposal (नलस्य दूतत्वं देवप्रस्तावश्च)
वयं हि सह कृष्णेन हत्वा कर्णमुखान् परान् | स्वबाहुविजितां कृत्स्नां प्रशासेम वसुन्धराम्,“भगवान् श्रीकृष्णके साथ हमलोग कर्ण आदि शत्रुओंको मारकर अपने बाहुबलसे जीती हुई सम्पूर्ण पृथ्वीका शासन कर सकते हैं
vaiśampāyana uvāca | vayaṃ hi saha kṛṣṇena hatvā karṇamukhān parān | svabāhuvijitāṃ kṛtsnāṃ praśāsema vasundharām ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “Indeed, with Kṛṣṇa at our side, after slaying the enemy host led by Karṇa, we could rule the entire earth—won by the strength of our own arms.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a political-moral tension: the confidence that military strength and a powerful ally can secure sovereignty, while implicitly inviting reflection on whether rulership grounded in conquest aligns with dharma and the responsibilities of just governance.
A speaker (reported by Vaiśampāyana) asserts that, with Kṛṣṇa’s support, they could defeat the opposing champions led by Karṇa and thereby govern the whole earth as a realm won through their own martial prowess.