Shloka 24

Śalya’s Consecration as Senāpati and Kṛṣṇa’s Counsel to Yudhiṣṭhira (शल्यस्य सेनापत्यभिषेकः)

Devanagari script

उवाच प्राञ्जलिभर्भूत्वा द्रोणभीष्मसमं रणे | अयं स काल: सम्प्राप्तो मित्राणां मित्रवत्सल

Transliteration

uvāca prāñjalir bhūtvā droṇabhīṣma-samaṃ raṇe | ayaṃ sa kālaḥ samprāpto mitrāṇāṃ mitra-vatsala ||

Translation

Sañjaya sprach: Mit gefalteten Händen in Ehrfurcht sagte er: „Im Kampf werde ich Droṇa und Bhīṣma ebenbürtig sein. Jetzt ist genau jener Augenblick gekommen—die Zeit, den Freunden mit standhafter Treue beizustehen, o du, der du deine Verbündeten liebst.“

Word by Word

उवाचsaid/spoke

प्राञ्जलिःwith joined palms (one with folded hands)

भूत्वाhaving become

द्रोणभीष्मसमम्equal to Drona and Bhishma

रणेin battle

अयम्this

सःthat/indeed (he/it)

कालःtime

सम्प्राप्तःhas arrived/has come

मित्राणाम्of friends

मित्रवत्सलःaffectionate to friends; friend-loving

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Droṇa

Bhīṣma

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 ethical ideal of steadfast loyalty and timely action: when a decisive moment arrives, one should uphold commitments to allies and meet one’s duty with resolve, while still maintaining respectful conduct (prāñjali).

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports that a warrior, after saluting with joined palms, declares readiness to match the prowess of Droṇa and Bhīṣma in battle and asserts that the crucial time has come to act for the sake of friends/allies, addressing someone praised as ‘mitra-vatsala’ (devoted to friends).