Shloka 56

Devanagari script

आदित्य इव मध्यद्ठे दुर्निरीक्ष्य: परंतप:

Transliteration

āditya iva madhyadṛṣṭe durnirīkṣyaḥ parantapaḥ

Translation

Sañjaya said: “Like the sun when looked at directly, the scorcher of foes was impossible to gaze upon—his presence in battle blazing with such intensity that it overwhelmed the sight and spirit of those who faced him.”

Word by Word

• आदित्यः: the Sun
• आदित्यः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: आदित्य
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• इव: like, as
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इव

• मध्याह्ने: at midday
• मध्याह्ने: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: मध्याह्न
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

• दुर्निरीक्ष्यः: hard to look at, unseeable
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दुर्निरीक्ष्य
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• परंतपः: the scorcher of foes (hero)
• परंतपः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: परंतप
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Āditya (the Sun)
• Parantapa (epithet of a warrior)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how overwhelming power and radiance in war can inspire awe and fear; ethically, it underscores that martial prowess has a psychological force, affecting perception and morale, not merely physical outcomes.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes a warrior on the battlefield whose brilliance and ferocity make him as unendurable to behold as the sun when stared at directly, emphasizing the intensity of the ongoing combat in the Karṇa Parva.