Shloka 33
भीष्मपर्व — अध्याय 54: फल्गुन-प्रतिरोधः, सौबली-व्यूह-विध्वंसः, दुर्योधन-भीष्म-संवादः
भवान् सेनापतिर्महां वासुदेवेन सम्मित: । कार्तिकेयो यथा नित्यं देवानामभवत् पुरा
bhavān senāpatir mahān vāsudevena sammitāḥ | kārtikeyo yathā nityaṁ devānām abhavat purā ||
„Du bist ein großer Heerführer, Vāsudeva ebenbürtig; so wie Kārtikeya einst stets der Feldherr der Götter war.“
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Competent leadership in a righteous cause is validated by comparison to ideal exemplars: Vāsudeva as the paradigm of wise guidance and Kārtikeya as the paradigm of steadfast martial command. The verse underscores that authority in war should be grounded in excellence, discipline, and protective duty.
Sañjaya praises and reassures a commander by declaring him equal to Vāsudeva, and supports the praise with an analogy: just as Kārtikeya was the constant commander of the gods in ancient times, so this person stands as a fitting leader for the army now.