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

Sañjaya berkata: Dalam kancah pertempuran, putera unggul Senāvindu menghentam musuh-musuhnya, mendesak pertarungan dengan semangat kepahlawanan yang teguh—gambaran keperkasaan yang, dalam bingkai etika Mahābhārata, turut menegaskan bahawa keberanian perang boleh dipuja walaupun ia menggerakkan jentera ngeri pertikaian sesama saudara.

Word by Word

• सेनाविन्दुसुतः: the son of Senābindu
• सेनाविन्दुसुतः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: सेनाविन्दु-सुत
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• श्रेष्ठः: excellent, best
• श्रेष्ठः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: श्रेष्ठ
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• शात्रवान्: enemies
• शात्रवान्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: शात्रव
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• प्रहरन्: striking, smiting
• प्रहरन्: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-हृ
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular, शतृ (present active participle)

• युधि: in battle
• युधि: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: युध्
• Form: Feminine, Locative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Senāvindu
• Senāvindu’s son (unnamed here)
• enemies/foes (śātravāḥ)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

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.

What is happening in the narrative?

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.