Shloka 26

Śalya Appointed as Karṇa’s Sārathi; Discourse on Praise, Blame, and Beneficial Counsel (कर्णस्य शल्यसारथ्यं तथा स्तवनिन्दाविचारः)

Devanagari script

वितथांस्तान्‌ समालक्ष्य पतितांश्व महीतले,इति श्रीमहा भारते कर्णपर्वणि संकुलयुद्धे षड़्विंशो 5ध्याय:

Transliteration

sañjaya uvāca: vitathāṁs tān samālakṣya patitāṁś ca mahītale | iti śrīmahābhārate karṇaparvaṇi saṅkulayuddhe ṣaḍviṁśo 'dhyāyaḥ ||

Translation

ສັນຊະຍະ ກ່າວວ່າ: ເມື່ອເຫັນວ່າລູກສອນເຫຼົ່ານັ້ນເປັນໄປຢ່າງໄຮ້ຜົນ ແລະຕົກກະທົບລົງສູ່ພື້ນດິນ, ດັ່ງນັ້ນບົດທີ 26 ໃນພາກກັນນະ (Karṇa Parva) ຂອງມະຫາພາຣະຕະ—ໃນຕອນທີ່ພັນລະນາສົງຄາມອັນສັບສົນແລະພັນພົວ—ກໍສິ້ນສຸດລົງ. ຖ້ອຍຄຳນີ້ຊີ້ໃຫ້ເຫັນວ່າ ຄຳອວດອ້າງອັນຫວ່າງເປົ່າ ເມື່ອຖືກທົດສອບໃນສົງຄາມ ຍ່ອມພັງທະລາຍ; ຄວາມຍໂສຖືກກົດລົງສູ່ດິນໂດຍຜົນຕາມມາອັນບໍ່ເລືອກຂ້າງຂອງຄວາມຮຸນແຮງ.

Word by Word

वितथान्false, futile

तान्those

समालक्ष्यhaving observed, seeing clearly

पतितान्fallen

चand

महीतलेon the surface of the earth, on the ground

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Mahītala (the earth/ground)

Mahābhārata

Karṇa Parva

Saṅkula-yuddha (the entangled/confused battle section)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse functions as a moral and narrative punctuation: in war, inflated claims and intentions are exposed as 'vitatha' (futile/false) when the reality of death and defeat brings warriors down to the earth. It hints at the ethical cost of violence and the fragility of human pride.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports that he sees certain figures (previously described in the chapter) fallen on the battlefield, and the line then transitions into the formal colophon marking the end of the chapter within the Karṇa Parva’s account of the chaotic battle.