Shloka 16
कर्ण–कृष्णसंवादः (Karṇa–Kṛṣṇa-saṃvādaḥ) — Karṇa’s Statement on Lineage, Loyalty, and the ‘Śastra-yajña’ Metaphor
अन्मनिं जुहोतु वै धौम्य: संशितात्मा द्विजोत्तम: । अद्य त्वामभिषिज्चन्तु चातुर्वैद्या द्विजातय:
anmaniṁ juhotu vai dhaumyaḥ saṁśitātmā dvijottamaḥ | adya tvām abhiṣiñcantu cāturvaidyā dvijātayaḥ ||
Que Dhaumya—le plus éminent des brahmanes, discipliné et maître de lui—accomplisse l’oblation dans le feu sacré. Et qu’aujourd’hui les dvija, savants maîtres des quatre Veda, te consacrent par l’abhiṣeka.
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
Legitimate rule and major decisions should be grounded in dharma—validated through disciplined conduct and Vedic-sanctioned rites—rather than asserted by power alone. The verse highlights ethical legitimacy: authority is strengthened when recognized by learned, self-controlled ritual experts and aligned with sacred procedure.
Vāyudeva instructs that the Brahmin Dhaumya should perform a fire-oblation and that learned twice-born Veda-masters should consecrate the addressed person through abhiṣeka. The scene frames an impending political act (installation/confirmation of authority) as a formal, dharmic rite carried out by qualified Brahmins.