Shloka 25

Adhyāya 35 — Bhīmasena’s Counter-Encirclement and the Karṇa Engagement Escalation

Devanagari script

भीमसेनं यमौ चोभौ राजानं च युधिष्ठिरम्‌ । रथपर बैठे हुए रथियोंमें श्रेष्ठ राधापुत्र कर्णने दुर्योधनके उस आदेशको शिरोधार्य करके युद्धकुशल राजा शल्यसे कहा--“महाबाहो! मेरे घोड़ोंको बढ़ाइये, जिससे कि मैं अर्जुन, भीमसेन, दोनों भाई नकुल-सहदेव तथा राजा युधिष्ठिरका वध कर सकूँ ।। २३-२४ $ || अद्य पश्यतु मे शल्य बाहुवीर्य धनंजय:

Transliteration

sañjaya uvāca |

bhīmasenaṃ yamau cobhau rājānaṃ ca yudhiṣṭhiram |

rathopasthaṃ sthitaṃ śūraṃ rathināṃ śreṣṭham āhave |

rādhāputraḥ karṇo dṛṣṭvā duryodhananiyogataḥ |

śalyam āha mahābāho vardhayaśvān mameti ha |

yenāhaṃ nihaniṣyāmi dhananjayaṃ vṛkodaram |

nakulasaḥdevau caiva rājānaṃ ca yudhiṣṭhiram ||

Translation

Sañjaya said: Karṇa, the son of Rādhā—foremost among chariot-warriors—accepting Duryodhana’s command as a duty to be borne, addressed King Śalya, skilled in war: “O mighty-armed one, urge on my horses, so that I may strike down Arjuna, Bhīmasena, the twin brothers Nakula and Sahadeva, and King Yudhiṣṭhira.”

Word by Word

• {'sañjaya uvāca': 'Sañjaya said', 'bhīmasenam': 'Bhīma (Bhīmasena), the powerful Pāṇḍava', 'yamau': 'the twins (Nakula and Sahadeva)', 'ubhau': 'both', 'rājānam': 'the king', 'yudhiṣṭhiram': 'Yudhiṣṭhira, eldest Pāṇḍava', 'rathinām śreṣṭhaḥ': 'best among chariot-warriors', 'rādhāputraḥ': 'son of Rādhā (Karṇa)', 'duryodhana-niyoga/ājñā': 'Duryodhana’s command/commission', 'śirodhārya': 'having accepted as an obligation (lit. ‘placed on the head’)', 'śalyam āha': 'said to Śalya', 'mahābāho': 'O mighty-armed one', 'vardhaya': 'urge on, increase speed', 'aśvān': 'horses', 'dhananjaya': 'Arjuna (winner of wealth)', 'vṛkodara': 'Bhīma (wolf-bellied

• a common epithet)', 'vadh/nihaniṣyāmi': 'to kill, to slay'}

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Karṇa (Rādhāputra)
• Duryodhana
• Śalya
• Arjuna (Dhanañjaya)
• Bhīma (Bhīmasena, Vṛkodara)
• Nakula
• Sahadeva
• Yudhiṣṭhira
• horses
• chariot

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the moral tension between personal loyalty and the wider demands of dharma. Karṇa treats Duryodhana’s order as a binding obligation and channels his excellence into violent resolve; the ethical lesson is that allegiance and vows, when tied to adharma, can intensify destruction even in the presence of heroic virtues.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports that Karṇa, positioned on his chariot and regarded as a foremost warrior, accepts Duryodhana’s directive and tells Śalya (his charioteer) to drive the horses faster so he can attack and kill Arjuna, Bhīma, Nakula, Sahadeva, and Yudhiṣṭhira.