Shloka 21
एवं दुर्योधनाचार्यमाशु सेनापतिं कुरु । जिगीषन्तो<सुरान् संख्ये कार्तिकेयमिवामरा:,अतः दुर्योधन! जैसे असुरोंपर विजयकी इच्छा रखनेवाले देवताओंने रणक्षेत्रमें कार्तिकेयको अपना सेनापति बनाया था, इसी प्रकार तुम भी आचार्य द्रोणको शीघ्र सेनापति बनाओ
evaṁ duryodhanācāryam āśu senāpatiṁ kuru | jigīṣanto 'surān saṅkhye kārtikeyam ivāmarāḥ ||
Karna said: “Therefore, O Duryodhana, quickly appoint the Teacher (Drona) as commander of the army. Just as the gods, desiring victory over the asuras in battle, made Kārtikeya their general on the battlefield, so should you make Drona the leader of our forces.”
कर्ण उवाच
Educational Q&A
Effective leadership in crisis requires swift, competent appointment of command; Karna frames this as a duty of war-governance, using the gods’ choice of Kārtikeya as a model for selecting the most capable general.
In the Drona Parva, Karna urges Duryodhana to immediately make Droṇa the commander-in-chief, comparing the Kauravas’ need for decisive leadership to the devas appointing Kārtikeya when seeking victory over the asuras.