Shloka 12

Devanagari script

पुरा वैकर्तनं कर्णमेष पापो घटोत्कच: । मायाबलं समाश्रित्य कर्षयत्यरिकर्शन,'शत्रुसूदन! कहीं ऐसा न हो कि यह पापी घटोत्कच मायाबलका आश्रय ले वैकर्तन कर्णको पहले ही नष्ट कर दे”

Transliteration

purā vaikartanaṃ karṇam eṣa pāpo ghaṭotkacaḥ | māyābalaṃ samāśritya karṣayaty arikarṣana, śatrusūdana |

Translation

Sañjaya sprach: „O Bezwinger der Feinde, möge es nicht geschehen, dass dieser sündige Ghaṭotkaca, gestützt auf die Macht der Täuschung, Karṇa, den Vaikartana, vorzeitig vernichtet.“

Word by Word

पुराformerly, earlier

वैकर्तनम्Vaikartana (Karna)

कर्णम्Karna

एषःthis (one)

पापःsinful, wicked

घटोत्कचःGhaṭotkaca

मायाबलम्power of illusion (magic power)

समाश्रित्यhaving resorted to

कर्षयतिdrags, draws, harasses

अरिकर्शनO crusher of foes

शत्रुसूदनO slayer of enemies

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Ghaṭotkaca

Karṇa (Vaikartana)

māyā (illusory power)

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 highlights the moral anxiety surrounding warfare: victory sought through māyā (deceptive power) is viewed with suspicion, and even in battle there is concern about unfair or premature destruction of a key warrior. It reflects how ethical judgment (“pāpa”) is applied to methods, not only outcomes.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya voices a foreboding to Dhṛtarāṣṭra, warning that Ghaṭotkaca—known for magical warfare—might rely on illusion to bring down Karṇa before the expected course of events, altering the balance of the battle.