Mahabharata 7.175.16 — Drona Parva, Adhyaya 175, Shloka 16

Devanagari script

धावमानस्य योधस्य क्षुरप्रै: स महामृथे । बाहू चिच्छेद वै कर्ण: शिरश्चनैव सकुण्डलम्‌,कर्ण उस महासमरमें अपने क्षुरप्रोंद्वारा भागते हुए योद्धाकी दोनों भुजाओं तथा कुण्डलमण्डित मस्तकको भी काट डाला था

Transliteration

dhāvamānasya yodhasya kṣurapraiḥ sa mahāmṛdhe | bāhū ciccheda vai karṇaḥ śiraś caiva sakuṇḍalam ||

Translation

Sañjaya sprach: In jener großen und wütenden Schlacht hieb Karṇa mit seinen pfeilscharfen, rasiermesserscharfen Geschossen dem fliehenden Krieger beide Arme ab und trennte ihm danach auch den Kopf — noch immer mit Ohrringen geschmückt.

Word by Word

• धावमानस्य: of (the) running
• धावमानस्य: Adhikarana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: धाव (धातु) → धावमान (वर्तमान कृदन्त)
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• योधस्य: of the warrior
• योधस्य: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: योध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• क्षुरप्रैः: with razor(-edged) arrows
• क्षुरप्रैः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षुरप्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

• सः: he
• सः: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• महामृधे: in the great battle
• महामृधे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: महामृध्/महामृध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Locative, Singular

• बाहू: two arms
• बाहू: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: बाहु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Dual

• चिच्छेद: cut off
• Type: Verb
• Root: छिद् (धातु)
• Form: Perfect (Liṭ), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

• वै: indeed
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (निपात)

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

• शिरः: head
• शिरः: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिरस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (निपात)

• न: also/indeed (emphatic particle in this context)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (निपात)

• एव: just/indeed
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (निपात)

• सकुण्डलम्: together with earrings
• सकुण्डलम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स + कुण्डल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Karṇa
• a fleeing warrior (unnamed)
• kṣurapra arrows
• earrings (kuṇḍala)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the harsh ethical tension of warfare: martial skill and duty can manifest as extreme violence, reminding readers that entering war entails grave, irreversible outcomes and tests the boundaries of restraint and righteousness.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports that Karṇa, using razor-edged arrows, strikes a fleeing warrior—severing both arms and then cutting off the warrior’s head, described as still bearing earrings.