Shloka 11
कर्णस्य सेनापत्याभिषेकः | Karṇa’s Consecration as Commander-in-Chief
अम्बष्ठस्य सुतः श्रीमान् मित्रहेतो: पराक्रमन् । आसाद्य लक्ष्मणं वीर दुर्योधनसुतं रणे
ambaṣṭhasya sutaḥ śrīmān mitrahetoḥ parākraman | āsādya lakṣmaṇaṃ vīra duryodhanasutaṃ raṇe ||
Sañjaya sprach: Der ruhmreiche Sohn des Ambaṣṭha (Standes), der um seines Verbündeten Mitra willen kämpfte, rückte vor und stellte sich im Getümmel dem heldenhaften Lakṣmaṇa, dem Sohn Duryodhanas. Die Begebenheit zeigt, wie im Krieg Loyalitäten und Bündnisse Männer in den unmittelbaren Zusammenstoß treiben, wo persönliche Tapferkeit an den Banden von Freundschaft und Pflicht gemessen wird.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how friendship and alliance (mitra-hetu) become compelling motives in warfare, binding warriors to act—even when the action leads to deadly confrontation. It points to the ethical tension between personal bonds and the destructive arena of battle.
Sañjaya reports that an illustrious warrior, identified as the son of an Ambaṣṭha, advances with valor and directly confronts Lakṣmaṇa, Duryodhana’s son, on the battlefield—signaling the escalation into a focused duel or clash.