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Shloka 35

Adhyāya 40 (Book 7, Droṇa-parva): Abhimanyu’s Rapid Advance and Battlefield Disruption

ततो मुहूर्तात्‌ कर्णस्य बाणेनैकेन वीर्यवान्‌

tato muhūrtāt karṇasya bāṇenaikena vīryavān

قال سانجيا: ثم في لحظةٍ وجيزة سقط ذلك البطلُ صريعًا بسهمٍ واحدٍ من سهامِ كَرْنَة—صورةٌ تُبيّن كيف أنّ في اقتصادِ الحربِ الوحشي قد ينقلب البأسُ والقدرُ في آنٍ، وأنّ مقذوفًا واحدًا قد يحسم ما عجزت عنه الجيوش.

ततःthen, thereafter
ततः:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootतद्
FormAvyaya (ablatival adverb: 'from that/thereafter')
मुहूर्तात्from/after a moment
मुहूर्तात्:
Apadana
TypeNoun
Rootमुहूर्त
FormMasculine, Ablative, Singular
कर्णस्यof Karna
कर्णस्य:
TypeNoun
Rootकर्ण
FormMasculine, Genitive, Singular
बाणेनwith an arrow
बाणेन:
Karana
TypeNoun
Rootबाण
FormMasculine, Instrumental, Singular
एकेनwith a single (one)
एकेन:
Karana
TypeAdjective
Rootएक
FormMasculine, Instrumental, Singular (agreeing with बाणेन)
वीर्यवान्the mighty/valorous one
वीर्यवान्:
Karta
TypeAdjective
Rootवीर्यवत्
FormMasculine, Nominative, Singular

संजय उवाच

S
Sañjaya
K
Karṇa
B
bāṇa (arrow)

Educational Q&A

The line underscores the fragility of embodied life in war: even the mighty can fall in a moment. Ethically, it highlights the grave weight of martial action—skill and valor operate within a field where consequences are immediate and irreversible.

Sañjaya reports that, after a short interval, a valiant warrior is brought down by Karṇa with a single arrow, emphasizing Karṇa’s lethal effectiveness and the swift reversals typical of the Kurukṣetra battle.