Shloka 25

कर्णवधोत्तरं शल्य-दुर्योधनसंवादः

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

Devanagari script

त्वष्टा कृतं वाहमकूजनाक्ष॑ शुभं समास्थाय कपिध्वजं तम्‌ | खडगं गृहीत्वा हेमपट्टानुबद्धं धनुश्चेदं गाण्डिवं तालमात्रम्‌

Transliteration

tvaṣṭā kṛtaṃ vāham akūjanākṣaṃ śubhaṃ samāsthāya kapidhvajaṃ tam | khaḍgaṃ gṛhītvā hemapaṭṭānubaddhaṃ dhanuś cedaṃ gāṇḍivaṃ tālamātram ||

Translation

Санджая сказал: «Взойдя на благой боевой колесничный воз, созданный Тваштри, и заняв место на колеснице воина со знаменем обезьяны, он схватил меч, скреплённый золотыми накладками, и также этот лук Гандиву — могучий, величиной с пальму, — и приготовился к делу брани, праведному и страшному.»

Word by Word

त्वष्टाTvaṣṭṛ (the divine artisan)

कृतम्made, fashioned

वाहम्vehicle, mount

अकूजनाक्षम्whose eyes do not blink/move (steady-eyed)

शुभम्auspicious, splendid

समास्थायhaving mounted/ascended

कपिध्वजम्the one with a monkey-banner (Arjuna)

तम्him

खड्गम्sword

गृहीत्वाhaving taken

हेमपट्टानुबद्धम्bound/fastened with a golden belt/strap

धनुःbow

चand

इदम्this

गाण्डिवम्Gāṇḍīva (Arjuna’s bow)

तालमात्रम्of the measure of a tāla (a span/palm-measure)

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

स

संजय (Sañjaya)

त

त्वष्टा (Tvaṣṭṛ)

क

कपिध्वज (Kapi-dhvaja, monkey-bannered—Arjuna’s emblem with Hanūmān)

ख

खड्ग (sword)

ग

गाण्डिव (Gāṇḍīva bow)

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 highlights disciplined readiness in the service of duty: sacred symbols (the monkey-banner), divine craftsmanship (Tvaṣṭṛ’s chariot), and formidable weapons are not for vanity but for fulfilling kṣatriya responsibility in a morally fraught war.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes a warrior (identified by the monkey-banner and the Gāṇḍīva as Arjuna) mounting the auspicious, divinely crafted chariot and taking up sword and bow, signaling immediate preparation to engage in the battle events of Karṇa Parva.