Shloka 25

कर्णनिधनवृत्तान्तनिवेदनम् | Reporting Karṇa’s Fall to Yudhiṣṭhira

Devanagari script

अयुध्यमानस्य वधस्तथाशत्रोश्व मानद | पराड्मुखस्य द्रवत: शरणं चापि गच्छत:,मानद! जो युद्ध न करता हो, शत्रुता न रखता हो, संग्रामसे विमुख होकर भागा जा रहा हो, शरणमें आता हो, हाथ जोड़कर आश्रयमें आ पड़ा हो तथा असावधान हो, ऐसे मनुष्यका वध करना श्रेष्ठ पुरुष अच्छा नहीं समझते हैं। तुम्हारे बड़े भाईमें उपर्युक्त सभी बातें हैं

Transliteration

ayudhyamānasya vadhastathāśatroś ca mānada | parāṅmukhasya dravataḥ śaraṇaṃ cāpi gacchataḥ ||

Translation

Śrī Kṛṣṇa said: “O noble one, the killing of a man who is not fighting, who bears no enmity, who has turned away from battle and is fleeing, or who is going for refuge—indeed, one who comes seeking protection—is not approved by the best of men. All these conditions apply to your elder brother.”

Word by Word

• {'ayudhyamāna': 'one who is not fighting, non-combatant at that moment', 'vadha': 'slaying, killing', 'aśatru': 'one who is not an enemy

• non-hostile person', 'mānada': '‘giver of honor’

• a respectful address meaning noble one', 'parāṅmukha': 'turned away, facing away

• withdrawing from combat', 'dravat': 'running, fleeing', 'śaraṇa': 'refuge, protection, asylum', 'gacchataḥ': 'of one who is going/approaching (for refuge)'}

Speaker

श्रीकृष्ण उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Śrī Kṛṣṇa
• your elder brother (addressed person’s elder brother)