Shloka 31

Devanagari script

पांचाल, कौरव, नैमिष और मत्स्यदेशोंके निवासी धर्मको जानते हैं। उत्तर, अंग तथा मगधदेशोंके वृद्ध पुरुष शास्त्रोक्त धर्मोका आश्रय लेकर जीवन निर्वाह करते हैं ।। प्राचीं दिशं श्रिता देवा जातवेद:पुरोगमा: । दक्षिणां पितरो गुप्तां यमेन शुभकर्मणा

Transliteration

Pāñcāla, Kaurava, Naimiṣa ca Matsyadeśe nivāsinaḥ dharmaṃ jānanti. Uttara, Aṅga tathā Magadhadeśe vṛddhāḥ puruṣāḥ śāstroktadharmān āśritya jīvanaṃ nirvahanti. Prācīṃ diśaṃ śritā devā jātavedāḥ purogamāḥ; dakṣiṇāṃ pitaro guptāṃ Yamena śubhakarmaṇā.

Translation

പാഞ്ചാലർ, കൗരവർ, നൈമിഷവാസികൾ, മത്സ്യദേശവാസികൾ ധർമ്മം അറിയുന്നു. ഉത്തരപ്രദേശങ്ങളിലും അങ്ങ-മാഗധദേശങ്ങളിലും വൃദ്ധർ ശാസ്ത്രോക്ത ധർമ്മത്തെ ആശ്രയിച്ച് ജീവിക്കുന്നു. കിഴക്കുദിക്കിൽ ദേവന്മാർ ജാതവേദൻ (അഗ്നി) മുൻപന്തിയിലായി വസിക്കുന്നു; ശുഭകർമ്മനായ യമരാജൻ കാത്തിരിക്കുന്ന തെക്കുദിക്ക് പിതൃകളുടെ വാസസ്ഥലമാണ്।

Word by Word

• प्राचीम्: eastern (direction)
• प्राचीम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्राची
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• दिशम्: direction
• दिशम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: दिश्
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• श्रिताः: having resorted to / dwelling in
• श्रिताः: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रि
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural, क्त (past passive participle), used actively

• देवाः: the gods
• देवाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• जातवेदः: Jātavedas (Agni)
• जातवेदः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: जातवेदस्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• पुरोगमाः: having (him) in front / led by (Agni)
• पुरोगमाः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पुरोगम
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• दक्षिणाम्: southern (direction)
• दक्षिणाम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दक्षिणा
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• पितरः: the Pitṛs (manes/ancestors)
• पितरः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• गुप्ताम्: protected/guarded
• गुप्ताम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गुप्त
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular, क्त (past passive participle)

• यमेन: by Yama
• यमेन: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: यम
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Singular

• शुभकर्मणा: by auspicious deed/virtue
• शुभकर्मणा: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: शुभकर्मन्
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental, Singular

Speaker

कर्ण उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Karna
• Panchala
• Kauravas
• Naimisha
• Matsya
• Uttara (northern region)
• Anga
• Magadha
• Devas
• Jātavedas (Agni)
• Pitṛs (ancestors)
• Yama
• Prācī diśā (East)
• Dakṣiṇā diśā (South)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Dharma is not merely personal preference but a scripturally grounded way of life upheld by elders and mirrored in the cosmos: gods, ancestors, and guardians of directions each have their ordained spheres, implying that human society too should follow established righteous order.

What is happening in the narrative?

Karna is speaking and cites various regions and peoples as knowing and living by dharma, then invokes a traditional cosmological mapping—Agni leading the gods in the East and Yama guarding the South with the ancestors—to reinforce the authority and universality of dharma.