Shloka 4

कर्णवधप्रसङ्गः / The Context of Karṇa’s Fall

Krishna’s Dharmic Recollection and the Decisive Astra

Devanagari script

स मां समासाद्य नरेन्द्र यत्तः समभ्ययात्‌ सिंहमिव डिपेन्द्र: । अकार्षीच्च रथिनामुज्जिहीर्षा महाराज वध्यतां कौरवाणाम्‌

Transliteration

sa māṃ samāsādya narendra yattaḥ samabhyayāt siṃham iva dvipendraḥ | akāraṣīc ca rathinām ujjihīrṣā mahārāja vadhyatāṃ kauravāṇām ||

Translation

Arjuna said: “O king, when he came up to me, intent on victory, he charged straight at me—like a lordly elephant rushing upon a lion. And, O great king, he acted with the resolve to rescue the Kaurava chariot-warriors who were being slain.”

Word by Word

• {'samāsādya': 'having approached, coming up to', 'narendra': 'O king (lord of men)', 'yattaḥ': 'striving, intent, exerting oneself', 'samabhyayāt': 'advanced toward, charged at', 'siṃha': 'lion', 'iva': 'like, as', 'dvipendraḥ': 'lord of elephants

• great elephant', 'akāraṣīt': 'he did, he undertook', 'rathinām': 'of chariot-warriors', 'ujjihīrṣā': 'desire/intention to lift out, rescue, save', 'mahārāja': 'O great king', 'vadhyatām': 'of those being slain / while being killed', 'kauravāṇām': 'of the Kauravas'}

Speaker

अजुन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Arjuna
• Aśvatthāman
• Kauravas
• chariot-warriors (rathin)
• lion (siṃha)
• lordly elephant (dvipendra)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the warrior-ethic of decisive action in battle and the motive of protecting one’s side: Aśvatthāman’s assault is framed not merely as aggression but as an attempt to save comrades who are being cut down—showing how loyalty and duty can drive perilous confrontation.

What is happening in the narrative?

Arjuna reports to the king that Aśvatthāman, eager for victory, rushed directly at him with the force of a great elephant charging a lion, intending to rescue Kaurava chariot-fighters who were in the process of being slain.