Shloka 19
Gaṅgā-tīra Udaka-kriyā and Kuntī’s Disclosure of Karṇa’s Maternity
Strī-parva, Adhyāya 27
भूमिपानां च सर्वेषां बलं बलवतां वर:
bhūmipānāṃ ca sarveṣāṃ balaṃ balavatāṃ varaḥ
Vaiśampāyana said: “Among all the rulers of the earth, he was the very strength of the strong—the foremost among the mighty.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The line underscores an ethical ideal of kingship: true eminence is not merely personal might but being a stabilizing ‘strength’ for other powerful rulers—suggesting responsibility, protection, and exemplary leadership as the proper use of power.
In Strī Parva’s post-war setting, Vaiśampāyana describes a figure being praised in superlative terms—portrayed as preeminent among kings and as the very support of the powerful—within the broader atmosphere of mourning and assessment of the great ones lost in the conflict.