Shloka 3236

Devanagari script

अद्य कर्णमहं घोर सूदयिष्यामि सायकै: । “मैं महासमरमें शक्तिसम्पन्न रणदुर्मद एवं भयंकर कर्णको आज अपने बाणोंद्वारा मार डालूँगा

Transliteration

adya karṇam ahaṃ ghora sūdayiṣyāmi sāyakaiḥ |

Translation

Sañjaya said: “Today, in the great battle, I shall strike down with my arrows the formidable Karṇa—mighty in power, war-maddened, and terrible to behold.”

Word by Word

• अद्य: today
• अद्य: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अद्य
• Form: Avyaya (kāla-vācaka)

• कर्णम्: Karna
• कर्णम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: कर्ण
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: अहम्
• Form: Pronoun, Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• घोरम्: terrible, dreadful
• घोरम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: घोर
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular (agreeing with कर्णम्)

• सूदयिष्यामि: I will slay
• Type: Verb
• Root: सूद्
• Form: Luṭ (Simple Future), Parasmaipada, 1st person, Singular

• सायकैः: with arrows
• सायकैः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: सायक
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Karṇa
• arrows (sāyaka)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the hard edge of kṣatriya-dharma: in a righteous war, a warrior may be compelled to take lethal action against even a mighty opponent. It also implicitly points to the Mahābhārata’s ethical tension—duty can demand violence, yet that violence remains morally weighty and tragic.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports a vow-like declaration made in the heat of battle: the speaker resolves to kill Karṇa using arrows. It signals an escalation toward a decisive confrontation with Karṇa, one of the war’s central champions.