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Shloka 124

कर्णेन युधिष्ठिरानीकविदारणम् / Karṇa’s Breach of Yudhiṣṭhira’s Battle-Line

यथा शल्याद्य कर्णो<यं श्वेताश्वं कृष्णसारथिम्‌ | प्रमथ्य हन्यात्‌ कौन्तेयं तथा शीघ्रं विधीयताम्‌,शल्य! आप शीघ्र ऐसा प्रयत्न कीजिये, जिससे यह कर्ण उस श्वेतवाहन अर्जुनको, जिसके सारथि श्रीकृष्ण हैं, मथकर मार डाले

yathā śalyādya karṇo ’yaṃ śvetāśvaṃ kṛṣṇasārathim | pramathya hanyāt kaunteyaṃ tathā śīghraṃ vidhīyatām, śalya! |

Bhīṣma sprach: „O Śalya, handle rasch und richte alles so ein, dass Karṇa den Sohn Kuntīs—Arjuna—zermalme und erschlage, dessen Wagen von weißen Rossen gezogen wird und dessen Wagenlenker Kṛṣṇa ist.“

यथाas, just as
यथा:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootयथा
Formindeclinable (comparative particle)
शल्यात्from/than Shalya
शल्यात्:
Apadana
TypeNoun
Rootशल्य
Formmasculine, ablative, singular
अद्यtoday, now
अद्य:
Adhikarana
TypeIndeclinable
Rootअद्य
Formindeclinable (time adverb)
कर्णःKarna
कर्णः:
Karta
TypeNoun
Rootकर्ण
Formmasculine, nominative, singular
अयम्this (one)
अयम्:
Karta
TypePronoun
Rootइदम्
Formmasculine, nominative, singular
श्वेताश्वम्white-horsed (one)
श्वेताश्वम्:
Karma
TypeAdjective
Rootश्वेताश्व
Formmasculine, accusative, singular
कृष्णसारथिम्having Krishna as charioteer
कृष्णसारथिम्:
Karma
TypeNoun
Rootकृष्णसारथि
Formmasculine, accusative, singular
प्रमथ्यhaving crushed/overpowered
प्रमथ्य:
TypeVerb
Rootप्र + मथ्
Formabsolutive (क्त्वान्त), indeclinable
हन्यात्may/should kill
हन्यात्:
TypeVerb
Rootहन्
Formoptative (vidhi-liṅ), parasmaipada, 3rd person, singular
कौन्तेयम्the son of Kunti (Arjuna)
कौन्तेयम्:
Karma
TypeNoun
Rootकौन्तेय
Formmasculine, accusative, singular
तथाso, in that way
तथा:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootतथा
Formindeclinable (correlative adverb)
शीघ्रम्quickly
शीघ्रम्:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootशीघ्र
Formindeclinable (adverb)
विधीयताम्let it be done/arranged
विधीयताम्:
TypeVerb
Rootवि + धा
Formimperative (loṭ), passive (karmaṇi), 3rd person, singular
शल्यO Shalya
शल्य:
Sampradana
TypeNoun
Rootशल्य
Formmasculine, vocative, singular

पितामह उवाच

B
Bhīṣma (Pitāmaha)
Ś
Śalya
K
Karna
A
Arjuna (Kaunteya)
K
Kṛṣṇa
W
white horses (śvetāśvāḥ)
C
charioteer (sārathi)

Educational Q&A

The verse highlights wartime counsel: decisive outcomes depend on swift, well-directed action and coordination. Ethically, it also underscores the tension between strategic necessity in battle and the grave moral weight of urging the killing of a principal opponent.

Bhīṣma addresses Śalya, urging him to take immediate steps so that Karṇa can overpower and kill Arjuna, identified by his white-horsed chariot and by Kṛṣṇa serving as his charioteer.