Shloka 12
Śiśupāla’s Protest Against the Arghya to Kṛṣṇa (शिशुपाल-आक्षेपः)
द्राविडा: सिंहलाश्षैव राजा काश्मीरकस्तथा । कुन्तिभोजो महातेजा: पार्थिवो गौरवाहन:
drāviḍāḥ siṃhalāś caiva rājā kāśmīrakas tathā | kuntibhojo mahātejāḥ pārthivo gauravāhanaḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana berkata: “Hadir juga kaum Drāviḍa dan kaum Siṃhala; demikian pula raja Kāśmīra; Kuntibhoja yang bersinar gagah—bersama pemerintah bernama Gauravāhana—di tengah perhimpunan para raja.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the breadth of political participation: many distant regions and rulers converge in a single royal setting. Ethically, it implies that actions taken in such assemblies carry amplified responsibility, since they affect a wide network of peoples and kingdoms.
The narrator Vaiśampāyana is enumerating kings/peoples present in the great gathering, naming the Drāviḍas, the Siṃhalas, the king of Kāśmīra, Kuntibhoja, and a ruler called Gauravāhana as part of the assembled royal company.