Shloka 59

कर्णार्जुनसमागमः — The Karṇa–Arjuna Confrontation

Cosmic Spectatorship and Vows

Devanagari script

श्रुत्वा तु निनदं तेषां वध्यतां कर्णमायकै:

Transliteration

śrutvā tu ninadaṃ teṣāṃ vadhyatāṃ karṇamāyakaiḥ

Translation

Sañjaya said: Hearing the tumultuous roar of those who were being struck down by Karṇa’s iron-tipped missiles, the battlefield’s din swelled—signaling the relentless momentum of war and the grave moral weight of lives being cut short.

Word by Word

• श्रुत्वा: having heard
• श्रुत्वा: Adhikarana
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (gerund), कर्तरि, —, —, —

• तु: but/indeed
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु

• निनदम्: roar/sound
• निनदम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: निनद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• तेषाम्: of them
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Genitive, Plural

• वध्यताम्: let them be slain / may they be killed
• Type: Verb
• Root: वध् (धातु)
• Form: लोट्, आत्मनेपद, Third, Plural

• कर्णमायकैः: by ear-made (arrows/shafts)
• कर्णमायकैः: Karana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कर्णमायक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Karṇa
• iron/metal missiles (māyaka)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores the stark reality of war: martial prowess produces not only victory-signs like roaring clamor, but also the ethical gravity of destruction. It invites reflection on kṣatriya-duty carried out amid suffering and irreversible loss.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports the battlefield soundscape: a loud tumult arises as warriors are being cut down by Karṇa’s iron-tipped missiles, indicating Karṇa’s fierce onslaught and the mounting carnage.