Shloka 103

Karṇa-vadha-pratyaya: Yudhiṣṭhira’s Verification of Karṇa’s Fall (कर्णवध-प्रत्ययः)

Devanagari script

तस्यैव न: श्रुतो यादृड़निवातकवचै: सह । किरीटधारी अर्जुनके साथ संशप्तकोंका वह संग्राम वैसा ही भयानक था, जैसा कि निवातकवच नामक दानवोंके साथ अर्जुनका युद्ध हमने सुन रखा है

Transliteration

sañjaya uvāca | tasyaiva naḥ śruto yādṛg nivātakavacaiḥ saha | kirīṭadhāriṇā arjunena saha saṃsaptakānāṃ saḥ saṅgrāmo yathā tathā bhayānaka āsīt |

Translation

Sanjaya said: “That battle of the Saṁsaptakas against Arjuna, the wearer of the diadem, was as terrifying as the famed combat we have heard of—Arjuna’s war with the Nivātakavaca demons. By invoking that earlier, extraordinary struggle, I convey both the ferocity of the present clash and the relentless, vow-driven resolve with which the Saṁsaptakas pressed the fight.”

Word by Word

तस्यof that (battle/that one)

एवindeed/just

नःof us/our

श्रुतःheard (has been heard/was heard)

यादृक्such as/what kind (as)

निवातकवचैःwith the Nivātakavacas (a class of demons)

सहtogether with

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sanjaya

Arjuna

Saṁsaptakas

Nivātakavacas

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores how war narratives use remembered exemplars to measure present conduct: the Saṁsaptakas’ vow-driven persistence and Arjuna’s steadfast prowess are framed through a prior, legendary benchmark (the Nivātakavaca battle), highlighting resolve, duty, and the grave cost of martial commitment.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sanjaya reports to Dhritarashtra that the Saṁsaptakas’ engagement with Arjuna was extremely fearsome, comparable to the renowned battle Arjuna once fought against the Nivātakavaca demons—thereby emphasizing the intensity of the current encounter.