Shloka 7

Nārada’s Account of the Kaliṅga Svayaṃvara: Duryodhana’s Seizure and Karṇa’s Escort

Devanagari script

शृगालश्न महाराज: स्त्रीराज्याधिपतिश्न यः । अशोक: शतधन्वा च भोजो वीरश्न नामत:,शिशुपाल, जरासंध, भीष्मक, वक्र, कपोतरोमा, नील, सुदृढ़ पराक्रमी रुक्‍्मी, स्त्रीराज्यके स्वामी महाराज शुगाल, अशोक, शतधन्वा, भोज और वीर

Transliteration

nārada uvāca | śṛgālaś ca mahārājaḥ strīrājyādhipatiś ca yaḥ | aśokaḥ śatadhanvā ca bhojo vīraś ca nāmataḥ | śiśupālaḥ jarāsandho bhīṣmako vakraḥ kapotaromā nīlaḥ sudṛḍhaparākramī rukmī ca |

Translation

ນາຣະດະ ກ່າວວ່າ: «ໂອ ພະຣາຊາ, ມີ ສຣິກາລະ ແລະຍັງມີຜູ້ປົກຄອງແຫ່ງ ‘ອານາຈັກແມ່ຍິງ’ ອີກດ້ວຍ; ມີ ອະໂສກະ, ສະຕະທະນວາ, ໂພຊະ, ແລະຜູ້ໜຶ່ງຊື່ ວີຣະ. ທຳນອງດຽວກັນ ຍັງມີ ສິຊຸປາລະ, ຊະຣາສັນທະ, ພີສະມະກະ, ວັກຣະ, ກະໂປຕະໂຣມາ, ນີລະ, ແລະ ຣຸກມີ ຜູ້ກ້າຫານໝັ້ນຄົງ»។

Word by Word

शृगालःŚṛgāla (proper name)

महाराजःgreat king

स्त्रीराज्याधिपतिःlord of the kingdom of women

चand

यःwho

अशोकःAśoka (proper name)

शतधन्वाŚatadhanvā (lit. 'having a hundred bows'; proper name)

चand

भोजःBhoja (proper name)

वीरःVīra (proper name / 'hero')

नामतःby name

शिशुपालःŚiśupāla (proper name)

जरासन्धःJarāsandha (proper name)

भीष्मकःBhīṣmaka (proper name)

वक्रःVakra (proper name / 'crooked')

कपोतरोमाKapotaromā (lit. 'having pigeon-like hair/feathers'; proper name)

नीलःNīla (proper name / 'blue, dark')

सुदृढःvery firm/strong

पराक्रमीvaliant, mighty

रुक्मीRukmī (proper name)

Speaker

नारद उवाच

Characters & Entities

Nārada

Śṛgāla

Strīrājya (women’s kingdom)

Aśoka

Śatadhanvā

Bhoja

Vīra

Śiśupāla

Jarāsandha

Bhīṣmaka

Vakra

Kapotaromā

Nīla

Rukmī

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse functions as an ethical reminder through enumeration: many rulers attain power and notoriety, but their names ultimately stand as examples assessed by dharma; fame is unstable, and moral consequence outlasts political might.

What is happening in the narrative?

Nārada is speaking and reciting a catalogue of kings/warriors—Śṛgāla, a ruler of the ‘women’s kingdom,’ Aśoka, Śatadhanvā, Bhoja, Vīra, and others such as Śiśupāla and Jarāsandha—within a broader Shānti Parva discourse that uses historical-epic exempla to instruct on righteous conduct and governance.