Shloka 21

कर्णपरर्वणि त्रयोचत्वारिंशदध्यायः (Karṇa-parva Adhyāya 43) — Kṛṣṇa’s Battlefield Assessment and the Reversal Around Bhīma

Devanagari script

अपूपान्‌ सक्तुपिण्डांश्व प्राश्नन्तो मथितान्वितान्‌ | पथि सुप्रबला भूत्वा कदा सम्पततो5ध्वगान्‌

Transliteration

apūpān saktupiṇḍāṁś ca prāśnanto mathitānvitān | pathi suprabalā bhūtvā kadā sampatato 'dhvagān ||

Translation

Karna said: “Feasting on apūpa cakes and balls of saktu (parched grain), and carrying churned curds besides—when will these travellers on the road ever grow truly strong and rush forward?”

Word by Word

• अपूपान्: cakes
• अपूपान्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: अपूप
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• सक्तु-पिण्डान्: balls/lumps of parched-grain flour
• सक्तु-पिण्डान्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: सक्तु-पिण्ड
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

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

• प्राश्नन्तः: eating
• प्राश्नन्तः: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-√अश्
• Form: Present, Third, Plural, Parasmaipada, Shatru (present active participle) used adjectivally

• मथितान्: churned (curds/buttermilk etc.)
• मथितान्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मथित
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• वितान्: distributed/provided
• वितान्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वित
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• पथि: on the road
• पथि: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: पथिन्
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

• सु-प्रबला: very strong
• सु-प्रबला: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सु-प्रबल
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• भूत्वा: having become
• Type: Verb
• Root: √भू
• Form: Absolutive (ktvā), Active

• कदा: when?
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कदा

• सम्-पततः: falls upon/attacks
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-√पत्
• Form: Present, Third, Singular, Parasmaipada

• अध्वगान्: travellers/wayfarers
• अध्वगान्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: अध्वग
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

Speaker

कर्ण उवाच

Characters & Entities

• कर्ण (Karna)
• अध्वग (travellers/wayfarers)
• अपूप (cakes)
• सक्तुपिण्ड (parched-grain balls)
• मथित (churned curds/buttermilk)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse uses sarcasm to stress that in a dharmic battle, warriors must show disciplined strength and swift resolve; those who behave like comfort-seeking travellers with provisions are unfit for the urgency of combat duty.

What is happening in the narrative?

Karna is speaking in the midst of the war narrative and mocks the opposing side, portraying them as mere road-travellers eating travel-food (cakes, parched-grain balls, churned curds) and asking when they will ever become strong enough to charge.