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 dijo: “Oh el mejor de los Bharatas, eres capaz de dar muerte al poderoso Karṇa. Y éste también es mi deseo constante, oh gran guerrero de carro.”

Word by Word

• शक्तः: able, capable
• शक्तः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शक्त (शक्-धातोः क्त प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• उदसि: you are / you exist (you are able)
• Type: Verb
• Root: उद् + अस् (धातु)
• Form: Present, 2, Singular, Parasmaipada

• भरतश्रेष्ठ: O best of the Bharatas
• Type: Noun (vocative address)
• Root: भरत + श्रेष्ठ
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• हन्तुम्: to slay, to kill
• Type: Verb
• Root: हन् (धातु) + तुमुन्
• Form: Infinitive

• कर्णम्: Karna
• कर्णम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: कर्ण
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• महाबलम्: mighty-strong, very powerful
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महाबल
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• एषः: this (one/thing)
• एषः: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: एतद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

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

• अपि: also, even
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि

• हि: indeed, for
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि

• मे: of me, my
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: अस्मद्
• Form: Genitive, Singular

• कामः: desire, wish
• कामः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: काम
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• नित्यम्: always, constantly
• Type: Indeclinable (adverbial accusative)
• Root: नित्य

• एव: indeed, just
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव

• महारथ: O great chariot-warrior
• Type: Noun (vocative address)
• Root: महारथ
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Bharataśreṣṭha (addressed person, traditionally Dhṛtarāṣṭra)
• Karṇa
• Mahāratha (epithet of the addressed warrior)

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.