Shloka 77

Devanagari script

स मार्गणगणै: कर्णो दिश: प्रच्छाद्य सर्वश:

Transliteration

sa mārgaṇagaṇaiḥ karṇo diśaḥ pracchādya sarvaśaḥ

Translation

Sañjaya said: Karṇa, with volleys of arrows in dense clusters, blanketed all directions on every side—an overwhelming display of martial force that intensifies the moral darkness of the battlefield, where prowess and fury eclipse restraint.

Word by Word

• सः: he
• सः: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• मार्गणगणैः: with multitudes of arrows
• मार्गणगणैः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: मार्गणगण
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

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

• दिशः: the directions (quarters)
• दिशः: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: दिश्
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Plural

• प्रच्छाद्य: having covered, covering
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-छद्
• Form: ल्यप् (absolutive/gerund), Parasmaipada (usage)

• सर्वशः: on all sides, entirely
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सर्वशस्

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Karṇa
• arrows
• the directions (quarters of space)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how unchecked martial power can overwhelm the world around it; in the Mahābhārata’s ethical frame, such dominance is not automatically righteous—its moral value depends on intention, restraint, and alignment with dharma.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports that Karṇa unleashes such a dense shower of arrows that it seems to cover all directions, signaling a fierce surge in the combat and the battlefield’s intensifying peril.