Shloka 57
धृतराष्ट्रविलापः — Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Lament and Inquiry (Śalya-parva, Adhyāya 2)
Devanagari script
यं य॑ सेनाप्रणेतारं युधि कुर्वन्ति मामका:
Transliteration
yaṃ yaḥ senāpraṇetāraṃ yudhi kurvanti māmakāḥ
Translation
Vaiśampāyana said: “Whomever my own side appoints as the commander of the army in battle …”
Word by Word
यम्whom
यम्:
Karma
TypePronoun
Rootयद्
FormMasculine, Accusative, Singular
यःwho
यः:
Karta
TypePronoun
Rootयद्
FormMasculine, Nominative, Singular
सेना-प्रणेतारम्army-leader, commander
सेना-प्रणेतारम्:
Karma
TypeNoun
Rootसेनाप्रणेतृ
FormMasculine, Accusative, Singular
युधिin battle
युधि:
Adhikarana
TypeNoun
Rootयुध्
FormFeminine, Locative, Singular
कुर्वन्तिthey make, appoint
कुर्वन्ति:
Karta
TypeVerb
Rootकृ
FormPresent, Third, Plural, Parasmaipada
मामकाःmy men, my side (Kauravas)
मामकाः:
Karta
TypeNoun
Rootमामक
FormMasculine, Nominative, Plural
Speaker
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Characters & Entities
V
VaiśampāyanaM
māmakāḥ (Kauravas)Character Dynamics
Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)
War Context
Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)
Philosophical Teaching
Political Layer
Geographic Context
Cross References
Meter (Chandas)
Sandhi Notes
Educational Q&A
The line foregrounds the ethical weight of wartime leadership: appointing a commander is not merely tactical but shapes the conduct and consequences of war for one’s own side (māmakāḥ), implying responsibility for the outcomes that follow from such choices.
Vaiśampāyana continues describing the Kaurava side’s actions in the war context, introducing a statement about whomever they choose and install as their battlefield commander (senāpraṇetā) for the coming engagement.