Shloka 35

कर्णेन सैन्यस्थापनं तथा नानायुद्धसमवायः

Karna Reforms the Host and Multiple Duels Converge

Devanagari script

अर्धोक्ता: कुरुपज्चाला: शाल्वा: कृत्स्नानुशासना: । पर्वतीयाश्ष विषमा यथैव शिबयस्तथा

Transliteration

ardhoktāḥ kurupañcālāḥ śālvāḥ kṛtsnānuśāsanāḥ | parvatīyāś ca viṣamā yathaiva śibayas tathā ||

Translation

अर्धोक्ताः कुरुपाञ्चालाः शाल्वाः कृत्स्नानुशासनाः। पर्वतीयाश्च विषमाः यथैव शिबयस्तथा॥

Word by Word

• अर्धोक्ताः: those (who understand) when half is said / on half-saying
• अर्धोक्ताः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अर्धोक्त (अर्ध + उक्त)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• कुरुपाञ्चालाः: the Kurus and the Panchalas
• कुरुपाञ्चालाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुरु + पाञ्चाल
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• शाल्वाः: the Shalvas
• शाल्वाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: शाल्व
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• कृत्स्नानुशासनाः: those who need full instruction / who understand only after full instruction
• कृत्स्नानुशासनाः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृत्स्नानुशासन (कृत्स्न + अनुशासन)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• पर्वतीयाः: mountain(-region) people
• पर्वतीयाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: पर्वतीय
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

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

• विषमाः: uneven/odd/different (i.e., unlike the others)
• विषमाः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विषम
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• यथा: as / just as
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा

• एव: indeed / just
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव

• शिबयः: the Shibis
• शिबयः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिबि
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• तथा: so / likewise
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा

Speaker

कर्ण उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Karna
• Kuru
• Panchala
• Salva
• Sibi
• mountain regions (Parvatiya)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Effective leadership depends on knowing one’s audience: some grasp meaning from hints, others need full explanation, and some remain hard to persuade even after detailed instruction.

What is happening in the narrative?

Karna is characterizing different peoples by how quickly they understand spoken counsel, using this as a practical observation while speaking in the war context of the Karna Parva.