Shloka 105

Devanagari script

निहन्यमानेष्वस्त्रेषु मायया तेन रक्षसा । असम्भ्रान्तस्तदा कर्णस्तदू रक्ष: प्रत्ययुध्यत,उस राक्षसके द्वारा मायासे अपने अस्त्रोंके नष्ट हो जानेपर भी उस समय कर्णके मनमें तनिक भी घबराहट नहीं हुई। वह उस राक्षसके साथ युद्ध करता ही रहा

Transliteration

nihanyamāneṣv astreṣu māyayā tena rakṣasā | asambhrāntas tadā karṇas tadū rakṣaḥ pratyayudhyat ||

Translation

Sañjaya sprach: Obwohl der Rākṣasa durch trügerische Magie seine Geschosse unwirksam machte, verlor Karṇa nicht die Fassung. Unerschüttert im Geist kämpfte er weiter gegen jenen Rākṣasa und hielt stand.

Word by Word

निहन्यमानेषुwhen (weapons) were being destroyed

अस्त्रेषुin/among the weapons

माययाby illusion/magic

तेनby him

रक्षसाby the rākṣasa/demon

असम्भ्रान्तःunperturbed, not confused

तदाthen

कर्णःKarna

तदुand then/indeed (emphatic particle with 'tad')

रक्षःthe rākṣasa/demon

प्रत्ययुध्यतfought back/engaged in combat

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Karṇa

Rākṣasa

Astra (weapons/missiles)

Māyā (illusion)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights steadiness under adversity: even when one’s means (weapons/strategies) are thwarted by deception, a warrior committed to duty should remain unshaken, respond with presence of mind, and continue righteous effort rather than succumb to panic.

What is happening in the narrative?

A rākṣasa uses māyā to neutralize or destroy Karṇa’s astras. Despite this sudden reversal, Karṇa remains calm (asambhrānta) and continues to fight back against the rākṣasa.