Shloka 59

धृतराष्ट्रविलापः — Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Lament and Inquiry (Śalya-parva, Adhyāya 2)

Devanagari script

एवमेव हत: कर्ण: सूतपुत्र: प्रतापवान्‌

Transliteration

evam eva hataḥ karṇaḥ sūtaputraḥ pratāpavān

Translation

Vaiśampāyana sprach: „Ebenso wurde Karṇa, der ruhmreiche Sohn des Wagenlenkers, erschlagen.“

Word by Word

• एवम्: thus
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एवम्

• एव: indeed/just
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव

• हतः: slain
• Type: Adjective
• Root: हन्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• कर्णः: Karna
• कर्णः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: कर्ण
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• सूतपुत्रः: the charioteer’s son
• सूतपुत्रः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: सूतपुत्र
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• प्रतापवान्: mighty/valorous
• प्रतापवान्: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रतापवत्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• Karṇa

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the impermanence of worldly power: even a celebrated hero falls when circumstances, destiny, and the moral momentum of the war converge. It invites reflection on how valor alone is not a guarantee of victory, and how actions and alignments (dharma/adharma) shape outcomes.

What is happening in the narrative?

The narrator Vaiśampāyana succinctly states that Karṇa, famed for his prowess and known as the sūta’s son, has been killed—marking a decisive and tragic turning point in the Kurukṣetra war.