Shloka 23

अजिशीर्षे प्रातःसंध्यायां संग्रामवर्णनम् / Dawn-Transition Battle at Ajiśīrṣa

Chapter 161

Devanagari script

अयं कर्ण: कुत: कर्णस्तिष्ठ कर्ण महारणे

Transliteration

ayaṃ karṇaḥ kutaḥ karṇas tiṣṭha karṇa mahāraṇe

Translation

Sañjaya sagte: „Hier ist Karṇa—wo ist Karṇa jetzt? Steh fest, o Karṇa, in dieser großen Schlacht!“ Dieser Ruf trägt Dringlichkeit und moralischen Druck: In der Krise des Krieges wird der Krieger zu Standhaftigkeit und Verantwortung gerufen, nicht zum Ausweichen, denn das Schicksal vieler hängt an seiner Entschlossenheit.

Word by Word

• अयम्: this (man)
• अयम्: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: इदम्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• कर्णः: Karna
• कर्णः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: कर्ण
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• कुतः: whence? from where?
• कुतः: Apadana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कुतस्

• कर्णः: Karna
• कर्णः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: कर्ण
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• तिष्ठ: stand! stay!
• तिष्ठ: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्था
• Form: Imperative, Second, Singular, Parasmaipada

• कर्ण: O Karna
• कर्ण: Sampradana
• Type: Noun
• Root: कर्ण
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• महारणे: in the great battle
• महारणे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: महारण
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Karṇa
• mahāraṇa (the great battle of Kurukṣetra)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores kṣatriya-dharma in a moment of peril: a warrior must stand firm and face consequences with courage. It frames steadfastness as an ethical demand when one’s actions affect the wider field of suffering and justice in war.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports a charged call directed at Karṇa—pointing him out and challenging his whereabouts or readiness—urging him to hold his ground in the great battle. The repetition of “Karṇa” heightens the immediacy and pressure of the moment.