Shloka 29

Devanagari script

इति गायन्ति ये मत्ता: सीधुना शाकलाश्च ये

Transliteration

iti gāyanti ye mattāḥ sīdhunā śākalāś ca ye

Translation

Karna said: “Thus sing those who are intoxicated—those made drunk by sīdhu (fermented liquor), and those who are mere ‘shākalas’ (fragmentary, incoherent talkers).”

Word by Word

• इति: thus; so (quotative)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति

• गायन्ति: they sing
• Type: Verb
• Root: गै (गायति)
• Form: Lat (present indicative), 3rd, plural, Parasmaipada

• ये: who; those who
• ये: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: यद्
• Form: masculine, nominative, plural

• मत्ताः: intoxicated; drunk
• मत्ताः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मत्त (मत् + त)
• Form: masculine, nominative, plural

• सीधुना: with sidhu (liquor)
• सीधुना: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: सीधु
• Form: masculine, instrumental, singular

• शाकलाः: the Śākalas (people of Śākala)
• शाकलाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: शाकल
• Form: masculine, nominative, plural

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• ये: who; those who
• ये: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: यद्
• Form: masculine, nominative, plural

Speaker

कर्ण उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Karna
• sīdhu (fermented liquor)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Speech that arises from intoxication or fragmented, irresponsible minds should not be treated as authoritative; in moral crises like war, discernment about sources and self-control in speech are essential.

What is happening in the narrative?

Karna is speaking and deriding a certain claim or refrain as the kind of thing sung by drunkards and incoherent talkers, rejecting it as untrustworthy within the tense battlefield discourse of the Karna Parva.