Shloka 22

काकोपमोपदेशः

The Crow-and-Swan Exemplum as Counsel to Karṇa

Devanagari script

ततो दुर्योधनो राजा शक्ति चिक्षेप भारत

Transliteration

tato duryodhano rājā śaktiṃ cikṣepa bhārata

Translation

Sañjaya said: Then King Duryodhana hurled the śakti-weapon, O descendant of Bharata—an act that intensifies the battle’s moral tension, as royal power is here expressed through lethal force rather than restraint or reconciliation.

Word by Word

• ततः: then, thereafter
• ततः: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (तद्-प्रातिपदिकात् अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (पञ्चमी-अर्थे)

• दुर्योधनः: Duryodhana
• दुर्योधनः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: दुर्योधन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• राजा: the king
• राजा: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• शक्तिम्: a spear, javelin
• शक्तिम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: शक्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• चिक्षेप: threw, hurled
• Type: Verb
• Root: क्षिप् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परस्मैपद), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• भारत: O Bharata (descendant of Bharata)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भारत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sanjaya
• Duryodhana
• Dhritarashtra (implied by address 'Bhārata')
• śakti (weapon)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how, in the pressure of war, kings may choose escalation through force. It invites reflection on dharma in conflict: power and duty can be exercised, yet each violent choice carries ethical weight and consequences.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sanjaya reports that Duryodhana, the Kaurava king, throws a śakti (a spear-like missile weapon). The line marks a decisive, aggressive action within the ongoing battle sequence.