Shloka 19

Devanagari script

कम्बलाजिनसंवीता: कूर्दन्त्य: प्रियदर्शना: । मृदज्रानकशड्खानां मर्दलानां च नि:स्वनै:,“जिनके नेत्रोंके प्रान्नभाग मैनसिलके आलेपसे उज्ज्वल हैं, दोनों नेत्र और ललाट अंजनसे सुशोभित हैं तथा जिनके सारे अंग कम्बल और मृगचर्मसे आवृत हैं, वे गोरे रंगवाली प्रियदर्शना (परम सुन्दरी) रमणियाँ मृदंग, ढोल, शंख और मर्दल आदि वाद्योंकी ध्वनिके साथ-साथ कब नृत्य करती दिखायी देंगी

Transliteration

kambalājinasaṃvītāḥ kūrdantyaḥ priyadarśanāḥ | mṛdaṅgānakaśaṅkhānāṃ mardalānāṃ ca niḥsvanaiḥ ||

Translation

Karna said: “When shall I again behold those fair and beloved women—wrapped in blankets and deer-skins, moving in dance—while the resonant sounds of mṛdaṅga drums, ānaka kettledrums, conches, and mardala drums rise all around?” In the midst of war, his words reveal a mind pulled toward memories of festive life and domestic joy, highlighting the ethical tension between a warrior’s duty and the human longing for peace and beauty.

Word by Word

• कम्बलाजिनसंवीताः: clad in blankets and deerskins
• कम्बलाजिनसंवीताः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कम्बल + अजिन + संवीत (√वे/वी + सम्, क्त)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Plural

• कूर्दन्त्यः: dancing women / dancers
• कूर्दन्त्यः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: कूर्दन्ती (स्त्री. प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Plural

• प्रियदर्शनाः: lovely to behold / very beautiful
• प्रियदर्शनाः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रियदर्शना (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Plural

• मृदङ्गानकशङ्खानाम्: of drums, kettle-drums, and conches
• मृदङ्गानकशङ्खानाम्: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: मृदङ्ग + आनक + शङ्ख
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Plural

• मर्दलानाम्: of mardala-drums
• मर्दलानाम्: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: मर्दल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Plural

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• निःस्वनैः: with sounds / with resonances
• निःस्वनैः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: निःस्वन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

Speaker

कर्ण उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Karna
• women (priyadarśanāḥ)
• kambala (blanket)
• ājina (deer-skin)
• mṛdaṅga (drum)
• ānaka (kettledrum)
• śaṅkha (conch)
• mardala (drum)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores the inner conflict between kṣatriya-duty in war and the natural human yearning for peace, celebration, and beauty. It reminds the reader that even great warriors carry tender memories, and that war disrupts the ordinary rhythms of dharmic social life (music, dance, communal joy).

What is happening in the narrative?

In Karṇa Parva, Karna speaks while the war is ongoing. He evokes an image of beautiful women dancing to the sounds of drums and conches, expressing a wistful desire to witness such scenes again—an emotional contrast to the battlefield’s violence.