Shloka 23

Devanagari script

एवं ब्रुवन्तस्तेडन्योन्यं हृष्टरूपा विशाम्पते,प्रजानाथ! इस प्रकार प्रसन्न होकर परस्पर बात करते तथा राधानन्दन कर्णकी प्रशंसा और आदर करते हुए आपके सैनिक युद्धके लिये चले। उस समय द्रोणाचार्यने हमारी सेनाके द्वारा शकटव्यूहका निर्माण किया था

Transliteration

evaṁ bruvantas te ’nyonyaṁ hṛṣṭarūpā viśāṁ pate | prajānātha, tathā prasannāḥ parasparaṁ saṁbhāṣamāṇā rādhānandana-karṇasya praśaṁsāṁ ca satkāraṁ ca kurvāṇā yuddhāya jagmuḥ | tadā droṇācāryeṇa asmākaṁ senayā śakaṭa-vyūhaḥ kṛtaḥ |

Translation

Sanjaya said: “Speaking thus among themselves, with faces bright with delight, O lord of the people, your warriors set out for battle—gladly conversing with one another and offering praise and honor to Karna, the son of Radha. At that time, Dronacharya had the cart-shaped (śakaṭa) battle-formation arranged by our army.”

Word by Word

• एवम्: thus
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एवम्

• ब्रुवन्तः: speaking
• ब्रुवन्तः: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: ब्रू
• Form: present active, masculine, nominative, plural

• ते: they
• ते: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: masculine, nominative, plural

• अन्योन्यम्: mutually, with one another
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अन्योन्य

• हृष्ट-रूपाः: having delighted appearance
• हृष्ट-रूपाः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: हृष्ट-रूप
• Form: masculine, nominative, plural

• विशाम्: of the people/subjects
• Type: Noun
• Root: विश्
• Form: feminine, genitive, plural

• पते: O lord
• Type: Noun
• Root: पति
• Form: masculine, vocative, singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sanjaya
• Dhritarashtra (implied by vocatives viśāṁ pate / prajānātha)
• Karna
• Radha
• Dronacharya
• Kaurava army
• Śakaṭa-vyūha (cart-shaped formation)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how collective morale in war is shaped by mutual encouragement and honoring a champion (Karna), alongside disciplined obedience to command structure (Drona arranging a vyūha). Ethically, it reflects the kṣatriya-world where praise, loyalty, and strategic order are treated as supports for fulfilling one’s chosen duty in battle.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sanjaya reports to Dhritarashtra that the Kaurava troops, pleased and talking among themselves, go forth to fight while praising and honoring Karna. Simultaneously, Dronacharya organizes their forces into the śakaṭa (cart-shaped) battle formation.