Shloka 11

Devanagari script

उपायास्यति शक्रस्त्वां पाण्डवानां हितेप्सया । ब्राह्मणच्छञ्मना कर्ण कुण्डलापजिहीर्षया,“कर्ण! देवराज इन्द्र पाण्डवोंके हितकी इच्छासे तुम्हारे दोनों कुण्डल (और कवच) लेनेके लिये ब्राह्मगका छद्यवेष धारण करके तुम्हारे पास आयँगे

Transliteration

upāyāsyati śakrastvāṃ pāṇḍavānāṃ hitepsayā | brāhmaṇacchadmanā karṇa kuṇḍalāpajihīrṣayā ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana sprach: „Śakra (Indra) wird zu dir kommen, Karṇa, um das Wohl der Pāṇḍavas zu suchen. In der Verkleidung eines Brāhmaṇa wird er sich dir nähern, in der Absicht, dir deine Ohrringe (und deinen angeborenen Harnisch) zu nehmen.“

Word by Word

उपायास्यतिwill come near / will approach

शक्रःŚakra (Indra)

त्वाम्you

पाण्डवानाम्of the Pāṇḍavas

हितेप्सयाwith the desire for (their) welfare

ब्राह्मणच्छद्मनाby/with the disguise of a brāhmaṇa

कर्णO Karṇa

कुण्डलthe two earrings

अपजिहीर्षयाwith the wish to take away

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Śakra (Indra)

Karna

Pāṇḍavas

kuṇḍalas (earrings)

brāhmaṇa (disguise)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse foregrounds an ethical tension: even divine powers may resort to disguise for a perceived greater good, while Karṇa is placed in a situation where his famed generosity and adherence to giving are tested against self-preservation and the looming demands of war.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana foretells that Indra, aiming to protect the Pāṇḍavas’ interests, will approach Karṇa disguised as a brāhmaṇa to request (and thereby remove) Karṇa’s kuṇḍalas (and implicitly his innate protective armor), weakening him before the great conflict.