Shloka 10

कर्णस्य सेनापत्याभिषेकः | Karṇa’s Consecration as Commander-in-Chief

Devanagari script

सपत्नानां निहन्ता च महत्या सेनया वृतः

Transliteration

sapatnānāṁ nihantā ca mahatyā senayā vṛtaḥ

Translation

അവൻ വൈരികളായ ശത്രുക്കളുടെ സംഹാരകനായിരുന്നു; മഹാസേനയാൽ ചുറ്റപ്പെട്ടവനായി നിലകൊണ്ടിരുന്നു।

Word by Word

• सपत्नानाम्: of (his) rivals/enemies
• सपत्नानाम्: Apadana
• Type: Noun
• Root: सपत्न
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Plural

• निहन्ता: slayer
• निहन्ता: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: नि-हन्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• महत्या: by/with a great
• महत्या: Karana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महत्
• Form: Feminine, Instrumental, Singular

• सेनया: army
• सेनया: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: सेना
• Form: Feminine, Instrumental, Singular

• वृतः: surrounded/encircled
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वृ (वरणे)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• rival foes (sapatna)
• army (senā)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the Mahābhārata’s martial ethic: a warrior’s identity is framed through the defeat of adversaries and the collective power of an army, reminding readers that battlefield outcomes arise from both individual prowess and organized support.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes a prominent warrior as a killer of enemies, positioned amid and protected by a large military formation—setting the scene for imminent combat and emphasizing the scale and intensity of the engagement.