Shloka 30

कर्णनिधनश्रवणम् — Hearing of Karṇa’s Fall and Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Lament

Devanagari script

जयत्सेनस्तथा राजज्जारासंधिमहाबल: । मागधो निहत: संख्ये सौभद्रेण महात्मना

Transliteration

jayatsenas tathā rājan jārāsaṃdhi-mahābalaḥ | māgadho nihataḥ saṃkhye saubhadreṇa mahātmanā ||

Translation

Sañjaya said: O King, Jayatsena and the mighty Jārāsaṃdhi—both warriors of Magadha—were slain in the press of battle by the noble Saubhadra.

Word by Word

जयत्सेनःJayatsena (a warrior)

तथाalso/likewise

राजन्O king

जारासंधिःJārāsandhi (a warrior)

महाबलःvery strong/mighty

मागधःthe Magadhan (warrior)

निहतःwas slain

संख्येin battle

सौभद्रेणby the son of Subhadrā (Abhimanyu)

महात्मनाby the great-souled (one)

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Dhṛtarāṣṭra

Jayatsena

Jārāsaṃdhi

Magadha

Saubhadra (Abhimanyu)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Even within the violence of war, the epic frames action through the lens of kṣatriya-dharma: disciplined courage and steadfast performance of one’s role. The verse highlights how outcomes (death in battle) are narrated not merely as events but as consequences within a moral universe where valor, duty, and the weight of conflict are constantly evaluated.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to King Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Jayatsena and a powerful warrior of the Jarāsandha line (a Magadhan) were killed in combat by Saubhadra, i.e., Abhimanyu. It is a battlefield update emphasizing Abhimanyu’s prowess against notable opponents.