Shloka 8
Nārada’s Account of the Kaliṅga Svayaṃvara: Duryodhana’s Seizure and Karṇa’s Escort
एते चान्ये च बहवो दक्षिणां दिशमाश्रिता: । म्लेच्छाक्षार्याश्ष॒ राजान: प्राच्योदीच्यास्तथैव च
ete cānye ca bahavo dakṣiṇāṁ diśam āśritāḥ | mlecchāryāś ca rājānaḥ prācyodīcyās tathaiva ca ||
Nārada disse: “Estes e muitos outros reis também se dirigiram ao quadrante do sul e ali buscaram refúgio. Entre eles havia governantes de toda espécie de terras—Mleccha e Ārya igualmente, e reis das regiões orientais e setentrionais também.”
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the wide reach of political movement and alliance in the epic world: rulers from diverse cultural groupings and distant regions converge toward a single southern destination, suggesting that power, refuge, or obligation can draw together even socially differentiated peoples.
Nārada reports that many kings—identified broadly as Mleccha and Ārya, and as coming from eastern and northern regions—have gone to and settled in (or taken refuge in) the southern quarter, indicating a large gathering or relocation of rulers toward a southern center.