Shloka 166
समन्तपञ्चक-आख्यानम् तथा अक्षौहिणी-प्रमाणनिर्णयः
Samantapañcaka Narrative and the Measure of an Akṣauhiṇī
कर्णस्य परिमोक्षो5त्र कुण्डलाभ्यां पुरन्दरात् तथा यज्ञविभूतिश्न गयस्यात्र प्रकीर्तिता,इसके बाद महर्षि नारदने पुलस्त्यतीर्थकी यात्रा करनेकी प्रेरणा दी और महात्मा पाण्डवोंने वहाँकी यात्रा की। यहीं इन्द्रके द्वारा कर्णको कुण्डलोंसे वंचित करनेका तथा राजा गयके यज्ञवैभवका वर्णन किया गया है
karṇasya parimokṣo ’tra kuṇḍalābhyāṃ purandarāt tathā yajñavibhūtiś ca gayasyātra prakīrtitā
Dito isinasalaysay kung paanong si Karṇa ay inalisan ng kanyang mga hikaw ni Purandara (Indra), at gayundin ang maringal na karangyaan ng paghahandog ni Haring Gaya. Itinatanghal ng talatang ito ang mga pangyayaring ito bilang mga huwarang dapat tandaan sa salaysay ng banal na paglalakbay at tradisyon, na nagpapakita kung paanong ang pakana ng mga diyos at ang bisa ng ritwal ay humuhubog sa kapalaran at dangal ng tao.
राम उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse juxtaposes two moral lenses: (1) how divine powers may employ strategy that alters a hero’s fortunes (Indra taking Karṇa’s earrings), and (2) how ritual excellence and generosity can establish enduring fame (Gaya’s sacrificial splendor). Together they suggest that destiny is shaped both by higher forces and by one’s accumulated merit and conduct.
The text notes that this section includes the account of Indra (Purandara) depriving Karṇa of his earrings, and it also celebrates the grandeur of King Gaya’s yajña. It functions as a brief index-like statement of what is narrated ‘here’ in the surrounding passage.