Shloka 26

कर्णस्य सेनापत्याभिषेकः | Karṇa’s Consecration as Commander-in-Chief

Devanagari script

शिखण्डितनयो युद्धे क्षत्रदेवो युधां पति:

Transliteration

śikhaṇḍi-tanayo yuddhe kṣatra-devo yudhāṁ patiḥ

Translation

Sañjaya sprach: „Mitten in der Schlacht trat der Sohn Śikhaṇḍīs hervor—wie ein Gott unter den Kriegern—als Herr des Kampfes.“

Word by Word

• शिखण्डितनयः: the son of Śikhaṇḍī
• शिखण्डितनयः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिखण्डि-तनय
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• युद्धे: in battle
• युद्धे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: युद्ध
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• क्षत्रदेवः: the god among kṣatriyas (a foremost warrior)
• क्षत्रदेवः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षत्रदेव
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• युधाम्: of battles / of combats
• युधाम्: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: युध्
• Form: Feminine, Genitive, Plural

• पतिः: lord, master
• पतिः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: पति
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Śikhaṇḍī
• Śikhaṇḍī’s son (Śikhaṇḍi-tanaya)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the kṣatriya ideal of martial excellence: in war, a warrior’s stature is measured by courage, command, and effectiveness. It also reflects how epic narration elevates battlefield figures into moral-symbolic exemplars of valor.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya is describing the battlefield scene in Karṇa Parva, noting that Śikhaṇḍī’s son is prominent in the fighting, portrayed as a supreme warrior—‘a god among kṣatriyas’—and a leader in combat.