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Shloka 14

कृष्णोपदेशः, अर्जुनस्य क्षमा-याचनम्, कर्णवध-अनुज्ञा

Krishna’s Counsel, Arjuna’s Apology, and Authorization for Karṇa’s Slaying

ततो<पराभ्यां भल्लाभ्यां पुत्रयोस्‍्ते महाहवे

tato 'parābhyāṁ bhallābhyāṁ putrayos te mahāhave

Daraufhin traf er in jener großen Schlacht mit zwei scharf geschliffenen Bhalla-Pfeilen deine beiden Söhne—eine Tat, die das tragische Auseinanderbrechen von väterlicher Bindung und königlicher Pflicht unter der erbarmungslosen Ethik des Krieges noch verschärft.

ततःthen/thereupon
ततः:
Adhikarana
TypeIndeclinable
Rootततः
FormAvyaya (ablatival adverb: 'from/then')
अपराभ्याम्with the other/two latter (ones)
अपराभ्याम्:
Karana
TypeAdjective
Rootअपरा
FormFeminine, Instrumental, Dual
भल्लाभ्याम्with two barbed arrows
भल्लाभ्याम्:
Karana
TypeNoun
Rootभल्ल
FormMasculine, Instrumental, Dual
पुत्रयोःof the two sons
पुत्रयोः:
Adhikarana
TypeNoun
Rootपुत्र
FormMasculine, Genitive, Dual
तेhe
ते:
Karta
TypePronoun
Rootतद्
FormMasculine, Nominative, Singular
महाहवेin the great battle
महाहवे:
Adhikarana
TypeNoun
Rootमहाहव
FormMasculine, Locative, Singular

संजय उवाच

S
Sañjaya
D
Dhṛtarāṣṭra
T
two sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra (putrayos te)
B
bhalla-arrows

Educational Q&A

The line underscores the harsh moral landscape of kṣatriya warfare: personal bonds (a father's sons) are overridden by the impersonal momentum of battle, where skill and duty can produce irreversible loss, highlighting the tension between attachment and royal/warrior obligation.

Sañjaya reports that, in the midst of a major combat, a warrior (implied by context) uses two bhalla-arrows to strike Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s two sons, marking a decisive and violent turn in the encounter.