Shloka 17

Devanagari script

ते पञ्च पाञउ्चालरथप्रवीरा वैकर्तनं कर्णमभिद्रवन्त: । तस्माद्‌ रथाच्चयावयितु न शेकु- ्ैर्यात्‌ कृतात्मानमिवेन्द्रियार्था:,पांचाल रथियोंमें प्रमुख ये पाँचों वीर वैकर्तन कर्णपर आक्रमण करके भी उसे उस रथसे नीचे न गिरा सके। ठीक उसी तरह, जैसे जिसने अपने मनको वशमें कर रखा है उस योगीको शब्द, स्पर्श आदि विषय धैर्यसे विचलित नहीं कर पाते हैं

Transliteration

te pañca pāñcālaratha-pravīrā vaikartanaṃ karṇam abhidravantāḥ | tasmād rathāc cyāvayituṃ na śekuḥ yathā kṛtātmānam ivendriyārthāḥ ||

Translation

সঞ্জয়ে ক’লে—পাঞ্চাল ৰথীসকলৰ মাজত শ্ৰেষ্ঠ সেই পাঁচ বীৰ বৈকর্তন কৰ্ণৰ ওপৰত ধাৱমান হ’ল; তথাপি তেওঁলোকে কৰ্ণক ৰথৰ পৰা টলাব বা তললৈ পেলাব নোৱাৰিলে। যেনেকৈ মনক বশ কৰা আত্মজিত পুৰুষক শব্দ-স্পৰ্শ আদি ইন্দ্ৰিয়বিষয়ে নিজৰ বলত বিচলিত কৰিব নোৱাৰে।

Word by Word

तेthose

पञ्चfive

पाञ्चाल-रथ-प्रवीराःchief heroes among the Panchala chariot-warriors

वैकर्तनम्Vaikartana (Karna)

कर्णम्Karna

अभिद्रवन्तःattacking, rushing upon

तस्मात्from that

रथात्from the chariot

च्यावयितुम्to cause to fall/move down, to dislodge

नnot

शेकुःwere able

यथाjust as

कृत-आत्मानम्one who has mastered himself (self-controlled)

इवas if/like

इन्द्रिय-अर्थाःobjects of the senses

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Karṇa (Vaikartana)

Pāñcāla chariot-warriors (five heroes)

chariot

sense-objects (sound, touch, etc.)

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 uses a battlefield image to teach inner discipline: a person who has mastered the mind (kṛtātmā) is not easily shaken by sense-objects, just as Karṇa remains undislodged despite fierce assaults.

What is happening in the narrative?

Five leading Pāñcāla chariot-heroes rush to attack Karṇa, but even with their combined effort they fail to dislodge him from his chariot; Sañjaya frames this as a comparison to the steadiness of a self-controlled yogin.