Shloka 21
कर्णेन सैन्यस्थापनं तथा नानायुद्धसमवायः
Karna Reforms the Host and Multiple Duels Converge
इति पाउ्चनदं धर्ममवमेने पितामह: । स्वधर्मस्थेषु वर्षेषु सो5प्येतान् नाभ्यपूजयत्
iti pāuñcanadaṃ dharmam avamene pitāmahaḥ | svadharmastheṣu varṣeṣu so 'py etān nābhyapūjayat ||
Wika ni Karna: “Ganyan hinamak ng Matandang Ninuno (Brahmā) ang Dharma—ang kaugalian at tuntunin ng asal—ng mga taga-Pañcanada. Kahit matatag sila sa sariling tungkulin, hindi sila pinarangalan gaya ng ibang lupain na tapat sa kani-kanilang dharma.”
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.