Shloka 21
कर्णेन सैन्यस्थापनं तथा नानायुद्धसमवायः
Karna Reforms the Host and Multiple Duels Converge
इति पाउ्चनदं धर्ममवमेने पितामह: । स्वधर्मस्थेषु वर्षेषु सो5प्येतान् नाभ्यपूजयत्,पितामह ब्रह्माने पंचनदनिवासियोंके आचार-व्यवहाररूपी धर्मका इस प्रकार अनादर किया है। अपने धर्ममें तत्पर रहनेवाले अन्य देशोंकी तुलनामें उन्होंने इनका आदर नहीं किया
iti pāuñcanadaṃ dharmam avamene pitāmahaḥ | svadharmastheṣu varṣeṣu so 'py etān nābhyapūjayat ||
Karna said: “Thus did the Grandsire show contempt for the dharma—meaning the customary code of conduct—of the people of the Pañcanada region. Even though they were steadfast in their own duties, he did not honor them as he did other lands devoted to their respective dharmas.”
कर्ण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds the ethical expectation that communities devoted to their own dharma deserve recognition and respect; to dismiss a region’s customary dharma is portrayed as a moral failing, especially when contrasted with honoring other lands.
Karna, speaking critically, accuses Bhishma (the Grandsire) of having disrespected the Pañcanada people’s code of conduct and of withholding from them the honor he extended to other regions—part of Karna’s broader rhetorical attack on Bhishma’s judgments.