Shloka 353

Śalya Appointed as Karṇa’s Sārathi; Discourse on Praise, Blame, and Beneficial Counsel (कर्णस्य शल्यसारथ्यं तथा स्तवनिन्दाविचारः)

Devanagari script

जीवितान्तकरं घोरं व्यसृजत्त्वरयान्वित: । तत्पश्चात्‌ प्रहार करनेवाले योद्धाओंमें श्रेष्ठ कृतवर्माने उसके ऊपर समरांगणमें बड़ी उतावलीके साथ एक भयंकर प्राणान्तकारी बाण छोड़ा

Transliteration

sañjaya uvāca | jīvitāntakaraṃ ghoraṃ vyasṛjat tvarayānvitaḥ | tatpaścāt prahāra-karṇevāle yoddhāoṃ meṃ śreṣṭha kṛtavarmāne tasya upari samarāṅgaṇe baṛī utāvalīke sātha eka bhayaṅkara prāṇāntakārī bāṇa choṛā |

Translation

Sañjaya said: Then, in grim haste, he discharged a dreadful missile that could bring life to its end. After that, Kṛtavarmā—foremost among warriors skilled in striking—hurled upon him in the battlefield, with great urgency, a terrifying, life-ending arrow.

Word by Word

जीवितान्तकरम्life-ending, causing death

घोरम्terrible, dreadful

व्यसृजत्he discharged, released

त्वरयाwith haste

अन्वितःendowed with, accompanied by

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sanjaya

Kṛtavarmā

battlefield (samarāṅgaṇa)

deadly arrow (bāṇa)

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 underscores the grim ethical tension of kṣatriya warfare: valor and skill are praised, yet the action described is explicitly life-ending, reminding the listener that battlefield excellence operates within a tragic economy of death and urgency.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sanjaya reports a rapid escalation in combat: a dreadful, fatal weapon is released, and then Kṛtavarmā—renowned for effective striking—swiftly shoots a terrifying, deadly arrow at his opponent on the battlefield.