Shloka 436

Adhyāya 10: Śrutakarmā’s Engagements; Prativindhya–Citra Duel; Drauṇi Advances toward Bhīma

Devanagari script

दुर्योधनमुखा राजन्‌ राजानो विजयैषिण: । जैसे देवताओंने स्कन्दको सेनापति बनाकर उनका सत्कार किया था

Transliteration

sañjaya uvāca |

duryodhana-mukhā rājan rājāno vijayaiṣiṇaḥ |

yathā devatābhiḥ skandaḥ senāpatiḥ kṛtvā satkṛtaḥ, tathā sarve kauravāḥ karṇaṃ senāpatiṃ kṛtvā tasya satkārāya udyatāḥ |

rājan vijayābhilāṣiṇo duryodhanādayo rājānaḥ śāstroktavidhinā karṇasyābhiṣekaṃ cakruḥ |

Translation

سنجے نے کہا—اے راجن! دُریودھن کی قیادت میں فتح کے خواہاں تمام راجاؤں نے کرن کو سپہ سالار مقرر کر کے اس کی تعظیم کے لیے تیاری کی؛ جیسے دیوتاؤں نے سکند کو سپہ سالار بنا کر اس کا اکرام کیا تھا۔ پھر دُریودھن وغیرہ نے شاستروکت رسم کے مطابق کرن کا ابھیشیک (تاجپوشی) کیا۔

Word by Word

• दुर्योधनमुखाः: having Duryodhana at the head (i.e., led by Duryodhana)
• दुर्योधनमुखाः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दुर्योधनमुख
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• राजन्: O king
• राजन्: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन्
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• राजानः: kings
• राजानः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• विजयैषिणः: desirous of victory
• विजयैषिणः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विजयैषिन्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sanjaya
• Dhritarashtra
• Duryodhana
• Karna
• Kauravas
• Skanda
• Devas (gods)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The passage highlights how political-military authority is publicly legitimized through ritual and collective recognition. It also suggests an ethical tension: the pursuit of victory (vijaya) can drive leaders to elevate a champion through formal rites, even when the broader war itself is morally fraught.

What is happening in the narrative?

After Bhishma’s fall, the Kaurava side installs Karna as commander-in-chief. Duryodhana and allied kings honor him and perform his formal consecration (abhiṣeka) according to scriptural procedure, likening the event to the gods appointing Skanda as their general.