Shloka 923

Devanagari script

कर्ण: स्मरतु दुष्टात्मा वचन द्रोणभीष्मयो: । “आज दुष्टात्मा कर्ण अपने अंगोंपर गाण्डीव धनुषसे छूटे हुए भयंकर बाणोंकी चोट सहता हुआ द्रोणाचार्य और भीष्मके वचनोंको याद करे

Transliteration

karṇaḥ smaratu duṣṭātmā vacanaṃ droṇabhīṣmayoḥ |

Translation

Sañjaya said: “Let the wicked-souled Karṇa now recall the words spoken by Droṇa and Bhīṣma.”

Word by Word

• कर्णः: Karna
• कर्णः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: कर्ण
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• स्मरतु: let (him) remember
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्मृ
• Form: Imperative (Lot), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

• दुष्टात्मा: the wicked-souled one
• दुष्टात्मा: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: दुष्टात्मन्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• वचनम्: the word(s), saying
• वचनम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: वचन
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• द्रोणभीष्मयोः: of Drona and Bhishma
• द्रोणभीष्मयोः: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्रोण + भीष्म
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Dual

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Karna
• Droṇa (Droṇācārya)
• Bhīṣma

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Wise counsel ignored in pride or partisanship returns as moral reckoning in crisis; remembrance here functions as an ethical indictment—present suffering is linked to earlier refusal to heed Droṇa and Bhīṣma.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya, narrating the battle to Dhṛtarāṣṭra, remarks that Karṇa should now remember the earlier words of Droṇa and Bhīṣma—spoken as guidance or warning—at a moment when the tide of war turns harsh against him.