Shloka 56

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

Devanagari script

यथा स्कन्देन महिषो यथा रुद्रेण चान्धक: । तथार्जुनेन स हतो द्वैरथे युद्धदुर्मद:

Transliteration

yathā skandena mahiṣo yathā rudreṇa cāndhakaḥ | tathārjunena sa hato dvairathe yuddha-durmadaḥ ||

Translation

Sañjaya sprach: „Wie der Büffeldämon von Skanda erschlagen wurde und wie Andhaka von Rudra erschlagen wurde, so wurde auch jener Krieger—vom Hochmut der Schlacht trunken—von Arjuna im Zweikampf der Streitwagen niedergehauen. Der Vergleich macht deutlich, dass Stolz und unrechter Zorn im Krieg einem unvermeidlichen, göttlich gefügten Ende entgegengehen, wenn sie auf überlegene Tapferkeit treffen, die mit dem rechten Zweck im Einklang steht.“

Word by Word

यथाas, just as

स्कन्देनby Skanda

महिषःthe buffalo-demon (Mahisha)

यथाas, just as

रुद्रेणby Rudra

चand

अन्धकःAndhaka (the demon)

तथाso, in the same way

अर्जुनेनby Arjuna

सःhe

हतःkilled, slain

द्वैरथेin the chariot-duel

युद्ध-दुर्मदःmaddened by battle (battle-intoxicated)

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Skanda (Kārttikeya)

Mahīṣa/Mahiṣāsura

Rudra (Śiva)

Andhaka

Arjuna

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 teaches that arrogant intoxication in violence (yuddha-durmada) leads to ruin; righteous strength, framed through divine precedents (Skanda and Rudra), overcomes demonic or unruly pride.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that a warrior was slain by Arjuna in a chariot-to-chariot engagement, and he heightens the moment by likening the kill to famous divine slayings of powerful demons.