Mahabharata (Gita Press) 7.4.3 - Drona Parva, Adhyaya 4, Shloka 3

अध्याय ४ — भीष्मेन कर्णोत्साहनम्

Bhīṣma’s Encouragement of Karṇa

Devanagari script

इस प्रकार श्रीमहाभारत द्रोणपर्वके अन्तर्गत द्रोणाभिषेक पर्वमें कर्णवाक्यविषयक तीयरा अध्याय पूरा हुआ

Transliteration

parjanya iva bhūtānāṁ pratiṣṭhā suhṛdāṁ bhava | bāndhavās tv anu jīvantu sahasrākṣam ivāmarāḥ ||

Translation

Sañjaya sprach: „Werde für deine Wohlgesinnten eine feste Stütze, wie die Regenwolke es für die Lebewesen ist. Mögen deine Verwandten von dir getragen weiterleben, wie die Götter ihr Leben tragen, indem sie bei Sahasrākṣa (Indra) Zuflucht nehmen.“

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Word by Word

• पर्जन्यः: rain-cloud
• पर्जन्यः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: पर्जन्य
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• इव: like/as
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इव

• भूतानाम्: of beings/creatures
• भूतानाम्: Sampradana
• Type: Noun
• Root: भूत
• Form: Neuter, Genitive, Plural

• प्रतिष्ठा: support/refuge
• प्रतिष्ठा: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रतिष्ठा
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• सुहृदाम्: of friends/well-wishers
• सुहृदाम्: Sampradana
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुहृद्
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Plural

• भव: become; be
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू
• Form: Imperative, Second, Singular, Parasmaipada

• बान्धवाः: kinsmen/relatives
• बान्धवाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: बान्धव
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• त्वा: you (object)
• त्वा: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: युष्मद्
• Form: Accusative, Singular

• अनुजीवन्तु: may they live depending on (you)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अनु-जीव्
• Form: Imperative, Third, Plural, Parasmaipada

• सहस्राक्षम्: the thousand-eyed one (Indra)
• सहस्राक्षम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: सहस्राक्ष
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• इव: like/as
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इव

• अमराः: the immortals; gods
• अमराः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: अमर
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Karṇa
• Indra (Sahasrākṣa)
• Amarāḥ (the gods)
• Parjanya (rain-cloud)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Power and status are ethically validated when they become a refuge for others: one should sustain friends and relatives as rain sustains beings and as the gods rely on Indra—i.e., leadership as dependable support.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Sañjaya’s narration, a blessing/exhortation is voiced toward Karṇa, urging him to become the sustaining pillar of his allies and kinsmen, using cosmic analogies (rain-cloud; Indra as the gods’ support).