Shloka 43

Devanagari script

सैनापत्येन सत्कर्तु कर्ण स्कन्दमिवामरा: । ततो5भिषिषिचु: कर्ण विधिदृष्टेन कर्मणा

Transliteration

senāpatyena satkartuṁ karṇa skandam ivāmarāḥ | tato 'bhiṣiṣicuḥ karṇaṁ vidhidṛṣṭena karmaṇā ||

Translation

Sañjaya sprach: „Um Karṇa zu ehren, indem sie ihn zum Heerführer ernannten—so wie die Götter einst Skanda ehrten—weihten sie daraufhin Karṇa nach dem von der Überlieferung vorgeschriebenen Ritus.“

Word by Word

सैनापत्येनby/with the office of commander-in-chief

सत्कर्तुम्to honor

कर्णम्Karna

स्कन्दम्Skanda

इवlike/as

अमराःthe immortals (gods)

ततःthen/thereupon

अभिषिषिचुःthey anointed/consecrated

कर्णम्Karna

विधिदृष्टेनprescribed by rule/ritual

कर्मणाby the rite/act

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Karṇa

Skanda (Kārttikeya)

Amarāḥ (the gods)

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 honor and authority are not merely rewards; they are formal commitments. By consecrating Karṇa through a prescribed rite, the text underscores that leadership in war carries sanctioned power along with heightened moral accountability for outcomes.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports that the Kaurava side decides to honor Karṇa by making him commander-in-chief. They perform a formal consecration (abhiṣeka) according to established ritual procedure, likening the honor to how the gods honored Skanda.