Shloka 1

Devanagari script

भीकम (2 अमान पञठ्चमो<ध्याय: कर्णके बल और पराक्रमका वर्णन, उसके द्वारा जरासंधकी पराजय और जरासंधका कर्णको अंगदेशमें मालिनी नगरीका राज्य प्रदान करना नारद उवाच आविष्कृतबलं कर्ण श्रुत्वा राजा स मागध: । आह्वयद्‌ द्वैरथेनाजी जरासंधो महीपति:,नारदजी कहते हैं--राजन्‌! कर्णके बलकी ख्याति सुनकर मगधदेशके राजा जरासंधने द्वैरथ युद्धके लिये उसे ललकारा

Transliteration

nārada uvāca | āviṣkṛtabalaṃ karṇaṃ śrutvā rājā sa māgadhaḥ | āhvayad dvairathenājau jarāsandho mahīpatiḥ ||

Translation

نارد نے کہا—اے راجن! کرن کی نو آشکار قوت کی شہرت سن کر مگدھ کا فرماں روا، مہاراج جراسندھ نے اسے دو رتھوں کے دُوئل کے لیے للکارا۔

Word by Word

आविष्कृतबलम्manifested strength

कर्णम्Karna

श्रुत्वाhaving heard

राजाthe king

सःhe

मागधःthe Magadhan

आह्वयत्challenged/called

द्वैरथेनby chariot-duel (two-chariot combat)

अजौin battle

जरासन्धःJarasandha

महीपतिःlord of the earth (king)

Speaker

नारद उवाच

Characters & Entities

Narada

Karna

Jarasandha

Magadha

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Public reputation (kīrti) and demonstrated power compel rulers to respond within kṣatriya norms: challenges are issued to test merit and establish hierarchy. The ethical tension lies in how honor-driven contests can escalate conflict, even when prompted merely by hearing of another’s prowess.

What is happening in the narrative?

Narada reports that Jarasandha, king of Magadha, hears of Karna’s manifest strength and therefore summons him to a chariot duel (dvairatha) on the battlefield, initiating a direct test of martial superiority.