Shloka 39

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

Devanagari script

श्रेणयो बहुसाहस्रा: संशप्तकगणाश्च ये । ते सर्वे पार्थमासाद्य गता वैवस्वतक्षयम्‌,संशप्तकगणोंकी कई हजार श्रेणियाँ थीं। वे सभी अर्जुनका सामना करके यमराजके लोकमें चले गये

Transliteration

śreṇayo bahusāhasrāḥ saṁśaptakagaṇāś ca ye | te sarve pārtham āsādya gatā vaivasvatakṣayam ||

Translation

Sañjaya said: Many thousands of battle-formations—the bands of the Saṁśaptakas—advanced to confront Arjuna. Having met him in combat, they all went to the abode of Vaivasvata (Yama).

Word by Word

श्रेणयःrows/companies (formations)

बहुmany/much

साहस्राःthousand (in number)

संशप्तक-गणाःbands of Saṁśaptakas

चand

येwho/which

तेthey/those

सर्वेall

पार्थम्Pārtha (Arjuna)

आसाद्यhaving approached/encountered

गताःwent/having gone

वैवस्वत-क्षयम्the abode/realm of Vaivasvata (Yama), i.e., death

वैindeed

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sanjaya

Arjuna (Pārtha)

Saṁśaptakas

Yama (Vaivasvata)

Vaivasvata-kṣaya (abode of Yama)

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?

The verse highlights the consequence of a death-bound martial vow: the Saṁśaptakas, committed to relentless combat, meet death when they confront a superior warrior. It reflects the Mahābhārata’s ethical realism—valor and vows in war carry irreversible karmic and mortal outcomes.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sanjaya reports that thousands of Saṁśaptaka formations advance against Arjuna. They engage him directly and are killed, thus ‘going to Vaivasvata’s abode’—a poetic way of saying they die and reach Yama’s realm.