Shloka 13

कर्णपर्व — चतुर्दशोऽध्यायः

Arjuna’s Suppression of the Saṃśaptakas; Kṛṣṇa’s Strategic Admonition; Battlefield Inventory

Devanagari script

ततः प्रतिकृते यत्नं कुर्वाणी तो महारणे । कृतप्रतिकृते यत्तो शरसड्घैरभीतवत्‌

Transliteration

tataḥ pratikṛte yatnaṃ kurvāṇī to mahāraṇe | kṛtapratikṛte yatto śarasandghair abhītavat

Translation

Sañjaya said: Then, in that great battle, striving to retaliate for what had been done, and intent on answering blow for blow, he pressed the counter-attack with volleys of arrows, fearlessly.

Word by Word

ततःthen, thereafter

प्रतिकृतेin/when retaliation (counter-action) was made

यत्नम्effort

कुर्वाणीdoing, making

तुbut, however

महारणेin the great battle

कृतप्रतिकृतेwhen counter-retaliation had been done

यत्तःstriving, intent

शरसङ्घैःwith volleys/groups of arrows

अभीतवत्fearlessly, like one unafraid

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

स

संजय (Sañjaya)

श

शर (arrows)

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 highlights the warrior ethos of answering aggression with disciplined effort and fearlessness; ethically, it also points to how cycles of retaliation intensify conflict, a recurring concern in the Mahābhārata’s war narrative.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes a combatant in the great battle making a determined counter-attack—seeking retaliation and responding with dense volleys of arrows, showing no fear.