Shloka 12
कर्णसेनापत्यारम्भः — Karṇa’s Appointment and the Report to Dhṛtarāṣṭra
Chapter 1
गोभिरसश्रैश्व निष्कैश्न वासोभिक्ष महाधनै: । वन्द्यमाना जयाशीर्भि: सूतमागधवन्दिभि:
gobhir asraiś ca niṣkaiś ca vāsobhiś ca mahādhanaiḥ | vandyamānā jayāśīrbhiḥ sūtamāgadhavandibhiḥ ||
Ils furent honorés par des présents—vaches, vêtements, ornements d’or et richesses en abondance—et célébrés par des bénédictions de victoire, proférées par les bardes sūta, les panégyristes de Magadha et les laudateurs de cour.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a royal ethic of dāna (generosity) and public honor: wealth is redistributed through gifts, while social voices (bards and heralds) confer legitimacy by praising and invoking victory—showing how power is sustained through both material giving and ritual acclaim.
In the opening of the Karṇa Parva, the courtly entourage is depicted in a ceremonial mode: people are being honored with valuable gifts and are publicly praised with victory-blessings by professional court singers and heralds.