Shloka 22

Devanagari script

शिखण्डी तु समासाद्य हृदिकानां महारथम्‌

Transliteration

śikhaṇḍī tu samāsādya hṛdikānāṃ mahāratham

Translation

Sañjaya dit : Alors Śikhaṇḍī s’approcha du grand guerrier de char Hṛdika et l’affronta au cœur de la mêlée.

Word by Word

• शिखण्डी: Shikhandi
• शिखण्डी: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिखण्डिन्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• तु: but/indeed
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु

• समासाद्य: having approached/encountered
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-आ-√सद्
• Form: ल्यप् (absolutive/gerund), Parasmaipada (usage)

• हृदिकानाम्: of the Hridikas
• Type: Noun
• Root: हृदिक
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Plural

• महारथम्: the great chariot-warrior
• महारथम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: महारथ
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Śikhaṇḍī
• Hṛdika
• Sañjaya

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the kṣatriya world of direct confrontation: reputation and rank (mahāratha) do not exempt one from being challenged, and battle unfolds through decisive approaches (samāsādya) driven by duty, strategy, and circumstance.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports that Śikhaṇḍī advances toward and engages the great chariot-warrior associated with Hṛdika, signaling the start of a specific clash within the larger battlefield sequence of Karṇa Parva.