Shloka 22

Devanagari script

तान्‌ प्रत्यविध्यद्‌ राधेय: पञ्चभि: पडठ्चभि: शरै: | सात्यकेस्तु धनुश्कछित्त्वा ध्वजं च भरतर्षभ

Transliteration

tān pratyavidhyad rādheyaḥ pañcabhiḥ pañcabhiḥ śaraiḥ | sātyakestu dhanuś chittvā dhvajaṃ ca bharatarṣabha ||

Translation

Sañjaya sprach: Rādheya (Karna) erwiderte den Angriff und traf sie mit fünf und nochmals fünf Pfeilen. Dann, o Stier unter den Bhāratas, zerschnitt er Sātyakis Bogen und schlug auch sein Banner nieder.

Word by Word

तान्them

प्रत्यविध्यत्pierced, struck through

राधेयःRādheya (Karna)

पञ्चभिःwith five

षड्भिःwith six

शरैःwith arrows

सात्यकेःof Sātyaki

तुbut, however

धनुःbow

छित्त्वाhaving cut

ध्वजम्banner, standard

चand

भरतर्षभO bull among the Bharatas (best of the Bharatas)

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Karṇa (Rādheya)

Sātyaki

bow (dhanuḥ)

banner/standard (dhvaja)

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 highlights the kṣatriya-world of the epic where immediate duty in battle is expressed through disciplined skill and counteraction; ethical reflection is implicit in the tragic momentum of war, where victory is pursued through decisive, targeted acts (disarming by cutting the bow and banner).

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports that Karṇa retaliates against his opponents with repeated sets of five arrows, and specifically disables Sātyaki by cutting his bow and striking down his banner, signaling a tactical advantage and intensifying the duel.