Shloka 17
श्रूयते हि पुरा कश्चिदम्बुवीच इतीश्वर: । आसीदू राजगृहे राजा मागधानां महीक्षिताम्,सुना है, पहले राजगृहमें अम्बुवीच नामसे प्रसिद्ध एक राजा राज्य करते थे। वे मागध राजाओंमेंसे एक थे
śrūyate hi purā kaścid ambuvīca itīśvaraḥ | āsīdū rājagṛhe rājā māgadhānāṃ mahīkṣitām |
It is heard from ancient tradition that there once was a certain sovereign named Ambuvīca. He ruled as king in Rājagṛha and was counted among the kings of Magadha—an exemplar of established royal authority invoked here to ground the ensuing account in remembered history.
कर्ण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse appeals to received tradition (śrūyate purā) to authenticate a moral-political exemplum: narratives of earlier kings are cited to frame later arguments about legitimate sovereignty and the conduct expected of rulers.
Karna begins (or continues) a story by introducing an ancient king named Ambuvīca, who ruled in Rājagṛha and belonged to the Magadhan line of kings, setting the historical and geographical context for the episode that follows.