Shloka 20

अर्जुनस्य शीघ्रप्रयाणं भीम-शकुनियुद्धं च

Arjuna’s Rapid Advance and the Bhīma–Śakuni Encounter

Devanagari script

तमविध्यदमेयात्मा तव पुत्रो हामर्षण:

Transliteration

tam avidhyad ameyātmā tava putro hāmarṣaṇaḥ

Translation

Sañjaya said: Then your son—of immeasurable spirit and unable to endure an affront—struck him.

Word by Word

• तम्: him
• तम्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• अविध्यत्: pierced, struck
• Type: Verb
• Root: व्यध् (विध्यति)
• Form: Imperfect (Laṅ), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

• अमेयात्मा: of immeasurable nature/strength
• अमेयात्मा: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अमेय-आत्मन्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• तव: your
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: युष्मद्
• Form: —, Genitive, Singular

• पुत्रः: son
• पुत्रः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुत्र
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• हामर्षणः: Hāmārṣaṇa (name/epithet)
• हामर्षणः: Karta
• Type: Noun/Adjective (proper epithet)
• Root: ह-आमर्षण (आमर्षण)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Dhṛtarāṣṭra (implied by 'tava')
• tava putraḥ (Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s son; contextually a Kaurava prince)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how, in the war’s moral atmosphere, honor and anger quickly convert into action. It implicitly warns that unchecked intolerance of insult (amarṣa) fuels escalation, even when framed as kṣatriya valor.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s son, described as of immeasurable spirit and unable to tolerate affront, strikes the opposing warrior—continuing a rapid exchange of attacks in the Karṇa Parva battle sequence.