Shloka 17
धृतराष्ट्रस्य मूर्च्छा स्त्रीणां च आर्तनादः
Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Collapse and the Lament of the Palace Women
संजय उवाच एवमुक्त्वा तत: कर्ण चक्रे सेनापतिं तदा । तव पुत्रो महावीर्यों भ्रातृभि: सहितोडनघ
sañjaya uvāca evam uktvā tataḥ karṇaṃ cakre senāpatiṃ tadā | tava putro mahāvīryo bhrātṛbhiḥ sahito 'nagha ||
Dijo Sañjaya: «Dicho esto, tu hijo—de gran bravura—nombró entonces a Karṇa comandante del ejército, oh rey sin tacha, actuando junto con sus hermanos.»
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how authority in war is conferred through deliberate choice and alliance: Duryodhana consolidates command by appointing Karṇa, showing the ethical tension between loyalty to one’s patron and the larger demands of dharma in a fratricidal conflict.
After a preceding statement (evam uktvā), Duryodhana, together with his brothers, formally appoints Karṇa as senāpati (army commander). Sañjaya reports this to Dhṛtarāṣṭra, marking a key shift in Kaurava leadership during the war.