Shloka 5
कर्णेन सैन्यस्थापनं तथा नानायुद्धसमवायः
Karna Reforms the Host and Multiple Duels Converge
अटता तु ततो देशान् नानाधर्मसमाकुलान् । आगच्छता महाराज वाहीकेषु निशामितम्,“महाराज! विभिन्न धर्मोंसे युक्त अनेक देशोंमें घूमता-घामता जब मैं बाहीक देशमें आ रहा था, तब वहाँ ऐसी बातें देखने और सुननेमें आयीं
aṭatā tu tato deśān nānādharmasamākulān | āgacchatā mahārāja vāhīkeṣu niśāmitam |
Karna berkata: “Wahai raja agung, ketika aku mengembara merentasi pelbagai wilayah—negeri-negeri yang sarat dengan aneka dharma serta adat sosial—dan ketika aku datang ke sini, aku telah melihat beberapa perkara dalam kalangan orang Vāhīka.”
कर्ण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds the idea that different regions may follow different dharmas (customs and norms). By presenting himself as an observer who has traveled widely, Karna sets up an ethical evaluation of conduct across cultures, implying that one should discern and judge practices rather than assume uniformity of dharma everywhere.
Karna begins a report to the king he addresses, saying that while traveling through many lands with varied customs, he came to the Vāhīka region and there noticed certain noteworthy things—introducing a description or critique of what he saw and heard among the Vāhīkas.