Shloka 20

Śalya’s Consecration as Senāpati and Kṛṣṇa’s Counsel to Yudhiṣṭhira (शल्यस्य सेनापत्यभिषेकः)

Devanagari script

भागिनेयान्‌ निजांस्त्यक्त्वा कृतज्ञोडस्मानुपागत: । महासेनो महाबाहुर्महासेन इवापर:,ये ऐसे कृतज्ञ हैं कि अपने सगे भानजोंको भी छोड़कर हमारे पक्षमें आ गये हैं। ये महाबाहु शल्य दूसरे महासेन (कार्तिकेय)-के समान महती सेनासे सम्पन्न हैं

Transliteration

bhāgineyān nijāṁs tyaktvā kṛtajño ’smān upāgataḥ | mahāseno mahābāhur mahāsena ivāparaḥ ||

Translation

సంజయుడు అన్నాడు— “కృతజ్ఞతతో ఆయన తన సొంత అక్క కుమారులనూ వదలి మా పక్షానికి వచ్చాడు. మహాబాహువు శల్యుడు మహాసేనాధిపతి; శక్తిలో మరొక మహాసేనుడు (కార్తికేయుడు) వలె ఉన్నాడు.”

Word by Word

भागिनेयान्sister's sons, nephews

निजान्one's own

त्यक्त्वाhaving abandoned

कृतज्ञःgrateful

अस्मान्us

उपागतःhaving come, arrived (to)

महासेनःMahāsena (name/title; also 'having a great army')

महाबाहुःmighty-armed

महासेनःMahāsena (Kārttikeya/Skanda)

इवlike, as

अपरःanother, a second

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Śalya

Bhāgineyāḥ (Śalya’s sister’s sons)

Mahāsena (Kārttikeya/Skanda)

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 foregrounds kṛtajñatā (gratitude/remembering a benefit) as a powerful ethical motive that can override even close kinship ties; it also shows how warriors are praised through divine comparison to strengthen morale and legitimacy.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes Śalya’s alignment with the Kauravas: despite having close family connections on the opposing side (his sister’s sons), Śalya comes to ‘our’ camp out of gratitude, and is portrayed as a formidable commander, likened to Mahāsena (Kārttikeya).