Shloka 15
कर्णेन सैन्यस्थापनं तथा नानायुद्धसमवायः
Karna Reforms the Host and Multiple Duels Converge
नानादेशेषु सन्तश्न प्रायो बाह्मालयादृते
nānādeśeṣu santaḥ prāyo bāhlīkālayād ṛte | matsyāt prabhṛti kuru-pañcāla-deśāntaṃ naimiṣāraṇyāt prabhṛti cedi-deśāntaṃ ye janā nivasanti te sarve śreṣṭhāḥ sādhavaḥ prācīna-dharmam āśritya jīvanirvāhaṃ kurvanti | madra-pañcanada-deśeṣu tu tathā na | tatra janāḥ kuṭilā bhavanti ||
Karna berkata: “Di banyak negeri, pada umumnya orang-orang mulia ditemukan hampir di mana-mana—kecuali di antara kaum Bāhlīka. Dari Matsya sampai negeri Kuru dan Pañcāla, dan dari Naimiṣāraṇya sampai negeri Cedi, mereka yang tinggal di sana semuanya terkemuka dan berbudi; mereka menegakkan hidup dengan bersandar pada dharma purba. Namun tidak demikian di wilayah Madra dan Pañcanada; orang-orang di sana berwatak bengkok.”
कर्ण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse contrasts communities said to uphold “ancient dharma” with those accused of moral crookedness, using regional characterization to argue that ethical excellence is associated with adherence to traditional righteous conduct.
Karna, speaking in the war narrative, delivers a disparaging assessment of certain northwestern regions (Bāhlīka/Madra/Pañcanada) while praising other lands as inhabited by virtuous people who live by established dharma—an example of polemical rhetoric within the epic.