Shloka 17

Devanagari script

कृतवर्मा तु सहित: काम्बोजवरबाद्निकै: । शिरस्यासीन्नरश्रेष्ठ: श्रेष्ठ: सर्वधनुष्मताम्‌,काम्बोज और बाह्लिकदेशके उत्तम सैनिकोंके साथ समस्त थधनुर्धरोंमें श्रेष्ठ नरप्रवर कृतवर्मा व्यूहके शिरोभागमें स्थित हुए

Transliteration

kṛtavarmā tu sahitaḥ kāmbojavarabāhlikaiḥ | śirasy āsīn naraśreṣṭhaḥ śreṣṭhaḥ sarvadhanuṣmatām ||

Translation

三阇耶说道：克利多伐摩与迦摩婆阇与婆诃利迦两地最精锐的战士同来，立于战阵之首。此人中之杰——以诸弓手之最著称——挺身前锋，显出俱卢一方对兵力与技艺的审慎编排；当战争的暴烈被有条不紊地铺陈之时，他亦在其先。

Word by Word

• कृतवर्मा: Kritavarman
• कृतवर्मा: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृतवर्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• तु: but/indeed
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु

• सहितः: accompanied (together) with
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सहित (प्रातिपदिक; √सह)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• काम्बोजवरबाह्लिकैः: with the excellent Kambojas and Bahlīkas
• काम्बोजवरबाह्लिकैः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: काम्बोज-वर-बाह्लिक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

• शिरसि: at/on the head (front/top)
• शिरसि: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिरस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• आसीत्: was/stood
• Type: Verb
• Root: √अस्
• Form: Imperfect (Laṅ), 3rd, Singular

• नरश्रेष्ठः: best of men
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर-श्रेष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• श्रेष्ठः: the best
• Type: Adjective
• Root: श्रेष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• सर्वधनुष्मताम्: of all bowmen/archers
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व-धनुष्मत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Plural

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Kṛtavarmā
• Kāmboja
• Bāhlīka

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how war is prosecuted through disciplined organization and the placement of capable leaders; it implicitly contrasts martial excellence and strategic order with the grave ethical weight of deploying such power in a fratricidal conflict.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports the Kaurava battle-array arrangement: Kṛtavarmā, supported by elite Kāmboja and Bāhlīka fighters, is stationed at the very front/head of the formation as a leading archer and commander.