Shloka 11

कर्णवधोत्तरं शल्य-दुर्योधनसंवादः

Aftermath of Karṇa’s Fall: Śalya’s Address to Duryodhana

Devanagari script

अयं जेता खाण्डवे देवसंघान्‌ सर्वाणि भूतान्यपि चोत्तमौजा: । अयं जेता मद्रकलिड्रकेकया- नयं कुरून्‌ राजमध्ये निहन्ता

Transliteration

sañjaya uvāca |

ayaṃ jetā khāṇḍave devasaṃghān sarvāṇi bhūtāny api cottamaujāḥ |

ayaṃ jetā madra-kaliṅga-kekayān ayaṃ kurūn rāja-madhye nihantā ||

Translation

Sañjaya berkata: “Anak ini, yang dikurniai tenaga tertinggi, akan menjadi penakluk. Di rimba Khāṇḍava dia akan mengatasi bahkan kumpulan para dewa dan segala makhluk. Dia akan menundukkan bangsa Madra, Kaliṅga, dan Kekaya; dan di tengah perhimpunan raja-raja, dia akan membawa kebinasaan kaum Kuru.”

Word by Word

• {'sañjaya uvāca': 'Sañjaya said', 'ayam': 'this (person), he', 'jetā': 'conqueror, victor', 'khāṇḍave': 'in Khāṇḍava (forest)', 'deva-saṃghān': 'hosts/assemblies of gods', 'sarvāṇi bhūtāni': 'all beings/creatures', 'api': 'even, also', 'ca': 'and', 'uttama-ojāḥ': 'of supreme vigor/energy

• possessing excellent strength', 'madra': 'the Madra people/kingdom', 'kaliṅga': 'the Kaliṅga people/kingdom', 'kekaya': 'the Kekaya people/kingdom', 'kurūn': 'the Kurus (Kauravas/Kuru lineage)', 'rāja-madhye': 'in the midst of kings

• in a royal assembly', 'nihantā': 'slayer, destroyer'}

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Khāṇḍava forest (Khāṇḍava-vana)
• Devas (gods)
• Bhūtas (beings/creatures)
• Madra
• Kaliṅga
• Kekaya
• Kurus

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse frames martial excellence as a force that can reshape political order: extraordinary vigor brings victory over formidable opponents, yet it also culminates in catastrophic destruction within the public arena of kings—highlighting how power and destiny can converge toward both glory and ruin.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports a prediction about a powerful youth: he will triumph in the Khāṇḍava forest even against divine hosts, later conquer the Madras, Kaliṅgas, and Kekayas, and finally destroy the Kurus in the midst of a royal gathering.