Shloka 4
कर्णपरर्वणि त्रयोचत्वारिंशदध्यायः (Karṇa-parva Adhyāya 43) — Kṛṣṇa’s Battlefield Assessment and the Reversal Around Bhīma
देशांश्न विविधांश्षित्रान् पूर्ववृत्तांश्व॒ पार्थिवान् । ब्राह्मणा: कथयन्ति सम धृतराष्ट्रनिवेशने,एक दिन महाराज धूृतराष्ट्रके घरमें बहुत-से ब्राह्मण आ-आकर नाना प्रकारके विचित्र देशों तथा पूर्ववर्ती भूपालोंके वृत्तान्त सुना रहे थे
deśāṁś ca vividhāṁś citrān pūrvavṛttāṁś ca pārthivān | brāhmaṇāḥ kathayanti sma dhṛtarāṣṭra-niveśane ||
Karna said: “In Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s residence, Brahmins used to recount—day after day—accounts of many wondrous and varied lands, and the histories and deeds of kings of former times.”
कर्ण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the cultural-ethical role of learned Brahmins at a royal court: preserving collective memory by recounting past kings, their deeds, and the diversity of lands—implying that present rulers should learn dharma, policy, and restraint from historical precedent.
Karna describes a scene at Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s residence where Brahmins regularly narrate stories about various remarkable countries and the histories of earlier kings, setting a reflective background for the ensuing discussion.