Shloka 9

दक्षिणदिशि तीर्थवर्णनम्

Southern Tīrthas: Godāvarī to Dvāravatī

Devanagari script

सर्वे वेदविद: शूरा: सर्वास्त्रविदुषस्तथा । योद्धुकामाश्च पार्थन सततं ये महाबला: । सच दिव्यास्त्रवित्‌ कर्ण: सूतपुत्रो महारथ:,“वे सब-के-सब वेदज्ञ, शूरवीर, सम्पूर्ण अस्त्र-शस्त्रोंके ज्ञाता, महाबली और सदा अर्जुनके साथ युद्धकी अभिलाषा रखनेवाले हैं। वह सूतपुत्र महारथी कर्ण भी दिव्यास्त्रोंका ज्ञाता है

Transliteration

sarve vedavidaḥ śūrāḥ sarvāstraviduṣas tathā | yoddhukāmāś ca pārthena satataṃ ye mahābalāḥ | sa ca divyāstravit karṇaḥ sūtaputro mahārathaḥ ||

Translation

毗湿摩等人皆通吠陀，勇武无双，亦精于诸般兵器；皆为大力之士，恒常渴望与帕尔塔（阿周那）交战。迦尔纳亦然——御者之子、伟大的车战勇士——亦通晓诸天神兵与神矢。

Word by Word

{'sarve''all', 'vedavidaḥ': 'knowers of the Vedas

those learned in sacred lore', 'śūrāḥ''heroes

brave warriors', 'sarvāstra-viduṣaḥ''skilled/learned in all weapons and missiles (astra)', 'tathā': 'likewise

also', 'yoddhu-kāmāḥ''desirous of fighting', 'pārthena': 'with Pārtha (Arjuna), son of Pṛthā', 'satatam': 'always

continually', 'ye''who', 'mahābalāḥ': 'very powerful

of great strength', 'sa ca''and he too', 'divya-astra-vit': 'knower of divine weapons/missiles', 'karṇaḥ': 'Karna', 'sūta-putraḥ': 'son of a sūta (charioteer/bard lineage)

epithet used for Karna', 'mahā-rathaḥ''great chariot-warrior

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Pārtha (Arjuna)

Karṇa

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how learning (Vedic knowledge) and martial skill can coexist in the warrior ideal, while also warning implicitly that prowess and sacred learning do not by themselves guarantee righteous intent—here they are directed toward relentless rivalry and the desire for battle.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana is describing a group of formidable warriors—learned, brave, and expert in weapons—who are eager to fight Arjuna; he specifically adds that Karṇa, famed as a mahāratha, also knows divine astras, underscoring the scale of the threat and the intensity of the conflict.