Shloka 21

Devanagari script

कर्णात्मज: सत्यसंधो महात्मा व्यवस्थित: समरे योद्धुकाम:,नरेन्द्र! कर्णका महामना एवं सत्यप्रतिज्ञ पुत्र समरांगणमें युद्धकी इच्छासे डटा हुआ है। इसके सिवा कर्णके दो पुत्र और हैं, जो उत्तम अस्त्रोंके ज्ञाता और शीघ्रतापूर्वक हाथ चलानेवाले हैं, वे भी आपकी ओरसे युद्धके लिये तैयार खड़े हैं। इन दोनोंने ऐसी विशाल सेनाको अपने साथ ले रखा है, जिसका अल्प धैर्यवाले वीरोंके लिये भेदन करना कठिन है

Transliteration

sañjaya uvāca | karṇātmajaḥ satyasaṃdho mahātmā vyavasthitaḥ samare yoddhukāmaḥ, narendra | karṇakā mahāmanā evaṃ satyapratijñaḥ putraḥ samarāṅgaṇe yuddhakī icchayā daṭā huā hai | isake sivā karṇake dve putrau anyau ca staḥ, ye uttamāstravidau śīghrahastau ca, te'pi tava pakṣe yuddhāya sajjāḥ tiṣṭhanti | etābhyāṃ caiva mahāsenaḥ saha nītā, yā alpadhairyavīrāṇāṃ bhettum duṣkarā |

Translation

Sañjaya said: O king, Karna’s son—steadfast in his truth and great-souled—stands firm in the battle, eager to fight. This high-minded son of Karna, true to his vow, is planted on the field with the will to wage war. Besides him, Karna has two other sons as well—skilled in excellent weapons and swift of hand—who also stand ready to fight on your side. Together they have brought with them a vast host, difficult for warriors of little endurance to break through.

Word by Word

कर्णात्मजःKarna's son

सत्यसन्धःtrue to his pledge

महात्माthe great-souled one

व्यवस्थितःstationed / firmly set

समरेin battle

योद्धुकामःdesiring to fight

नरेन्द्रO king

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sanjaya

Dhritarashtra (Narendra)

Karna

Karna’s son (Karṇātmaja)

Karna’s two other sons

Army/host (mahāsenā)

Battlefield (samara/samarāṅgaṇa)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the ethical weight of satya (truth) and pratijñā (vow): a warrior’s identity is tied to steadfastness and keeping one’s pledged word, even amid the moral strain of war.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sanjaya reports to Dhritarashtra that Karna’s son stands firmly ready to fight, and that two other sons of Karna—skilled and swift—are also prepared on the Kaurava side, supported by a large force that is difficult to penetrate.