Shloka 40

कर्णनिधनश्रवणम् — Hearing of Karṇa’s Fall and Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Lament

Devanagari script

स्यथालौ तव महाराज राजानौ वृषकाचलौ । त्वदर्थमतिविक्रान्ती निहतौ सव्यसाचिना,महाराज! आपके दोनों साले राजा वृषक और अचल, जो आपके लिये अत्यन्त पराक्रम प्रकट करते थे, अर्जुनके द्वारा मार डाले गये

Transliteration

syathālau tava mahārāja rājānau vṛṣakācalau | tvadartham ativikrāntī nihatau savyasācinā ||

Translation

Sañjaya sprach: „O großer König, deine beiden königlichen Schwäger, Vṛṣa und Acala—die um deinetwillen außerordentliche Tapferkeit zeigten—sind von Arjuna (Savyasācin) erschlagen worden.“

Word by Word

• स्यथालौ: brothers-in-law (dual)
• स्यथालौ: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्यथाल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Dual

• तव: of you/your
• तव: Adhikarana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: युष्मद्
• Form: —, Genitive, Singular

• महाराज: O great king
• महाराज: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: महाराज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• राजानौ: two kings
• राजानौ: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Dual

• वृषकाचलौ: Vṛṣaka and Acala
• वृषकाचलौ: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: वृषक + अचल (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Dual

• त्वदर्थम्: for your sake
• त्वदर्थम्: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्वद् + अर्थ (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• अतिविक्रान्ती: exceedingly valiant (two)
• अतिविक्रान्ती: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अति + विक्रान्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Dual

• निहतौ: slain
• निहतौ: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: नि-हन् (धातु) → निहत (कृदन्त)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Dual

• सव्यसाचिना: by Savyasācin (Arjuna)
• सव्यसाचिना: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: सव्यसाचिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Singular

• महाराज: O great king
• महाराज: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: महाराज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Dhṛtarāṣṭra
• Vṛṣa
• Acala
• Arjuna (Savyasācin)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the ethical tension between loyalty and the destructive consequences of war: even brave kinsmen who fight ‘for your sake’ can be cut down, showing how personal attachments and political allegiance amplify suffering and moral burden.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that two kings—his brothers-in-law Vṛṣa and Acala—who fought with great valor on his side, have been killed by Arjuna, intensifying the grim battlefield news.