Mahabharata 3.115.13 — Vana Parva, Adhyaya 115, Shloka 13

Akṛtavraṇa’s Account Begins: Gādhi–Satyavatī–Ṛcīka and the Bhārgava Lineage Prelude

Devanagari script

अव्याहतगतिकश्नैव रथस्तस्य महात्मन: । रथेन तेन तु सदा वरदानेन वीर्यवान्‌

Transliteration

avyāhatagatiś caiva rathas tasya mahātmanaḥ | rathena tena tu sadā varadānena vīryavān mahāmanā kārtavīryaḥ …

Translation

Akṛtavraṇa sprach: „Der Wagen jenes großgesinnten Helden fuhr in ungehindertem Lauf — niemand konnte seine Geschwindigkeit hemmen. Durch diesen Wagen und durch die gewährte Gabe gestärkt, streifte der mächtige und hochherzige Kārtavīrya (Arjuna) überall umher, trat selbst Götter, Yakṣas und ṛṣis nieder und bedrängte alle Lebewesen auf jede Weise.“

Word by Word

• अव्याहतगतिः: having unobstructed motion
• अव्याहतगतिः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अव्याहतगति
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

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

• रथः: chariot
• रथः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: रथ
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• तस्य: of him/of that
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Genitive, Singular

• महात्मनः: of the great-souled one
• Type: Noun
• Root: महात्मन्
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• रथेन: by/with the chariot
• रथेन: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: रथ
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Singular

• तेन: by that
• तेन: Karana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Instrumental, Singular

• तु: but/indeed
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु

• सदा: always
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सदा

• वरदानेन: by the boon-gift (bestowal of a boon)
• वरदानेन: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: वरदान
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental, Singular

• वीर्यवान्: powerful/valorous
• वीर्यवान्: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वीर्यवत्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• महामना: great-minded
• महामना: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महामनस्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• कार्तवीर्यः: Kartavīrya (proper name)
• कार्तवीर्यः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: कार्तवीर्य
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

अकृतव्रण उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Akṛtavraṇa
• Kārtavīrya Arjuna
• ratha (chariot)
• vara (boon)
• devas
• yakṣas
• ṛṣis
• sarva-prāṇin (all living beings)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Extraordinary power—especially power gained through boons or special gifts—becomes ethically dangerous when it is not restrained by dharma. The verse highlights how unchecked capability can slide into arrogance and cruelty, harming even the venerable (ṛṣis) and the wider world of beings.

What is happening in the narrative?

Akṛtavraṇa describes Kārtavīrya Arjuna’s exceptional chariot whose motion cannot be impeded. Strengthened by that chariot and a boon, Kārtavīrya roams about dominating and trampling various classes of beings—gods, yakṣas, and sages—and generally causing suffering to all creatures.