Mahabharata — Karna Parva, Shloka 29
कर्णस्य सेनापत्याभिषेकः | Karṇa’s Consecration as Commander-in-Chief
Devanagari script
सेनाविन्दुसुतः श्रेष्ठ: शात्रवान् प्रहरन् युधि
Transliteration
senāvindusutaḥ śreṣṭhaḥ śātravān praharan yudhi
Translation
സഞ്ജയൻ പറഞ്ഞു—യുദ്ധത്തിൽ സേനാവിന്ദുവിന്റെ ശ്രേഷ്ഠപുത്രൻ ശത്രുക്കളെ പ്രഹരിച്ചുകൊണ്ടിരുന്നു।
Word by Word
सेनाविन्दुसुतःthe son of Senābindu
सेनाविन्दुसुतः:
Karta
TypeNoun
Rootसेनाविन्दु-सुत
FormMasculine, Nominative, Singular
श्रेष्ठःexcellent, best
श्रेष्ठः:
Karta
TypeAdjective
Rootश्रेष्ठ
FormMasculine, Nominative, Singular
शात्रवान्enemies
शात्रवान्:
Karma
TypeNoun
Rootशात्रव
FormMasculine, Accusative, Plural
प्रहरन्striking, smiting
प्रहरन्:
Karta
TypeVerb
Rootप्र-हृ
FormMasculine, Nominative, Singular, शतृ (present active participle)
युधिin battle
युधि:
Adhikarana
TypeNoun
Rootयुध्
FormFeminine, Locative, Singular
Speaker
संजय उवाच
Characters & Entities
S
SañjayaS
SenāvinduS
Senāvindu’s son (unnamed here)E
enemies/foes (śātravāḥ)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
The verse highlights martial excellence (śreṣṭhatva) in the performance of battle-duty, reflecting the epic’s recurring tension: kṣatriya valor is praised as dharma in war, yet it unfolds within a tragic, destructive conflict that tests the moral limits of duty.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that the foremost son of Senāvindu is actively striking the enemy in combat, indicating a moment of intense fighting and the prominence of a particular warrior on the battlefield.