Shloka 49

Devanagari script

अवश्यं तु मया कार्य: सूतपुत्रस्य निग्रह:,“मुझे तो अवश्य ही सूतपुत्र कर्णका दमन करना चाहिये। अतः वीर! मैं स्वयं ही कर्णका वध करनेकी इच्छासे युद्धभूमिमें जाऊँगा। महाबाहु भीमसेन द्रोणाचार्यकी सेनाके साथ युद्ध कर रहे हैं"

Transliteration

sañjaya uvāca | avaśyaṃ tu mayā kāryaḥ sūtaputrasya nigrahaḥ |

Translation

Sañjaya said: “I must, without fail, undertake the subduing of Karna, the son of a charioteer. Therefore, O hero, I myself will go onto the battlefield with the resolve to slay Karna. Meanwhile, the mighty-armed Bhimasena is engaged in combat with the forces of Dronacharya.”

Word by Word

अवश्यम्certainly, necessarily

तुbut, indeed

मयाby me

कार्यःto be done, necessary (duty)

सूतपुत्रस्यof the charioteer’s son (Karna)

निग्रहःrestraint, subjugation

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sanjaya

Karna (Sūtaputra)

Bhimasena (Bhima)

Dronacharya

battlefield (raṇabhūmi, implied)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse foregrounds niścaya (firm resolve) in the performance of perceived duty: the speaker frames Karna’s defeat as an unavoidable necessity, reflecting the Mahabharata’s recurring tension between personal vows, strategic necessity, and the ethical weight of violence in war.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sanjaya reports a warrior’s determination to personally confront and kill Karna, while noting that Bhima is simultaneously battling the troops led by Dronacharya—indicating multiple intense engagements unfolding at once on the battlefield.