Shloka 37
जतुगृहदाहः — The Burning of the Lac House and the Pāṇḍavas’ Concealed Escape
वैशम्पायन उवाच (ततो राजानमामन्त्र्य गाड़ेयं च पितामहम् । अभिषेकस्य सम्भारान् समानीय द्विजातिभि: ।।) ततस्तस्मिन् क्षणे कर्ण: सलाजकुसुमैर्घटै: । काज्चनै: काज्चने पीठे मन्त्रविद्धिर्महारथ:,वैशम्पायनजी कहते हैं--राजन्! तदनन्तर दुर्योधनने राजा धृतराष्ट्र और गंगानन्दन भीष्मकी आज्ञा ले ब्राह्मणोंद्वारा अभिषेकका सामान मँगवाया। फिर उसी समय महाबली एवं महारथी कर्णको सोनेके सिंहासनपर बिठाकर मन्त्रवेत्ता ब्राह्मणोंने लावा और फूलोंसे युक्त सुवर्णमय कलशोंके जलसे अंगदेशके राज्यपर अभिषिक्त किया। तब मुकुट, हार, केयूर, कंगन, अंगद, राजोचित चिह्न तथा अन्य शुभ आभूषणोंसे विभूषित हो वह छत्र, चँवर तथा जय-जयकारके साथ राज्यश्रीसे सुशोभित होने लगा
vaiśampāyana uvāca | (tato rājānam āmantrya gāṅgeyaṃ ca pitāmaham | abhiṣekasya sambhārān samānīya dvijātibhiḥ ||) tatas tasmin kṣaṇe karṇaḥ salājakusumair ghaṭaiḥ | kāñcanaiḥ kāñcane pīṭhe mantraviddhir mahārathaḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana said: Thereafter, having taken leave of King Dhṛtarāṣṭra and of the grandsire Bhīṣma, Duryodhana had the requisites for a consecration brought in by the twice-born. Then, at that very moment, the great chariot-warrior Karṇa—seated upon a golden throne—was anointed by mantra-knowing Brahmins with water from golden jars adorned with parched grain and flowers, thereby installing him in the kingship of Aṅga. The episode underscores how political allegiance is cemented through Vedic ritual and public honor, even as it deepens factional bonds that will later drive the conflict.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Public ritual and honor can confer political legitimacy and bind loyalties; here, Duryodhana strengthens his faction by elevating Karṇa through a Vedic-style consecration, illustrating how power is reinforced through sanctioned ceremony even when it serves partisan ends.
After obtaining the assent of Dhṛtarāṣṭra and Bhīṣma, Duryodhana arranges the materials for a royal consecration. Brahmins then seat Karṇa on a golden throne and anoint him with water from auspiciously adorned golden jars, installing him as king of Aṅga.