Shloka 25

Devanagari script

शक्तोडसि भरतश्रेष्ठ हन्तुं कर्ण महाबलम्‌ । एष चापि हि मे कामो नित्यमेव महारथ

Transliteration

śakto 'si bharataśreṣṭha hantuṁ karṇa mahābalam | eṣa cāpi hi me kāmo nityam eva mahāratha ||

Translation

Sañjaya sprach: „O Bester der Bharatas, du bist imstande, den mächtig bewaffneten Karṇa zu erschlagen. Ja, auch dies ist mein ständiger Wunsch, o großer Wagenkämpfer.“

Word by Word

शक्तःable, capable

उदसिyou are / you exist (you are able)

भरतश्रेष्ठO best of the Bharatas

हन्तुम्to slay, to kill

कर्णम्Karna

महाबलम्mighty-strong, very powerful

एषःthis (one/thing)

चand

अपिalso, even

हिindeed, for

मेof me, my

कामःdesire, wish

नित्यम्always, constantly

एवindeed, just

महारथO great chariot-warrior

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Bharataśreṣṭha (addressed person, traditionally Dhṛtarāṣṭra)

Karṇa

Mahāratha (epithet of the addressed warrior)

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?

The verse highlights the tension between personal desire and the grim necessities of war: even a well-wisher may long for the fall of a formidable opponent, framing victory as both capability (śakti) and a persistent wish (nitya-kāma) amid ethical stakes.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya addresses the Kuru elder (Bharataśreṣṭha), asserting that he is capable of killing Karṇa, and adds that he himself continually wishes for Karṇa’s defeat—reflecting the high strategic and emotional weight attached to Karṇa in the battle.