न च स ह्य् अस्ति ते योधः सर्वराजसु भारत ॥
यो द्रोणं समरे यान्तं नानुयास्यति संयुगे ॥
एष सेनाप्रणेतॄणाम् एष शस्त्रभृताम् अपि ॥
एष बुद्धिमतां चैव श्रेष्ठो राजन् गुरुश् च ते ॥
एवं दुर्योधनाचार्यम् आशु सेनापतिं कुरु ॥
जिगीषन्तो ऽसुरान् संख्ये कार्त्तिकेयम् इवामराः ॥
na ca sa hy asti te yodhaḥ sarvarājasu bhārata ||
yo droṇaṃ samare yāntaṃ nānuyāsyati saṃyuge ||
eṣa senāpraṇetṝṇām eṣa śastrabhṛtām api ||
eṣa buddhimatāṃ caiva śreṣṭho rājan guruś ca te ||
evaṃ duryodhanācāryam āśu senāpatiṃ kuru ||
jigīṣanto 'surān saṃkhye kārttikeyam ivāmarāḥ ||
[Karna:] And among all your kings, O Bharata, there is no warrior who would not follow Drona as he marches into battle. He is the foremost among commanders, foremost among the bearers of arms, and foremost among the wise as well, O king, and he is your preceptor. Therefore, O Duryodhana, without delay make the teacher [Drona] your commander, as the immortals made Karttikeya [Skanda their commander], seeking to overcome the asuras in battle.
eb826303d18c · published Jul 19, 2026, 2:46:26 PM UTC
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Karna crowns his counsel by pointing to the unanimity Drona will inspire: all will follow the teacher, for his primacy is acknowledged by the heart, not imposed by force. The comparison to Karttikeya, set by the gods against the asuras, is majestic — but here too the language of the epic betrays the truth: likening the Kauravas to 'gods conquering asuras' is applied to the side whose cause is unrighteous, and so it rings with unwitting irony. The verse teaches that the best leader is the one whom others follow willingly, out of reverence rather than fear; and that even the loftiest comparison cannot turn an unrighteous cause into a righteous one — for it is not the name of 'a battle of gods against demons' but righteousness itself that decides on whose side victory lies.