Shloka 94

Devanagari script

जयेप्सव: स्वर्गमनाय चोत्सुका: पतन्ति नागाश्वरथा: परंतप

Transliteration

jayepsavaḥ svargamanāya cotsukāḥ patanti nāgāśvarathāḥ paraṃtapa

Translation

Karna said: “Eager for victory and longing to attain heaven, these warriors—mounted on elephants, horses, and chariots—are falling in battle, O scorcher of foes.”

Word by Word

• जयेप्सवः: desirous of victory
• जयेप्सवः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: जयेप्सु
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• स्वर्गम्: heaven
• स्वर्गम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्वर्ग
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• अनाय: for attainment (as a goal)
• अनाय: Sampradana
• Type: Noun
• Root: अना
• Form: Masculine, Dative, Singular

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• उत्सुकाः: eager
• उत्सुकाः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उत्सुक
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• पतन्ति: fall / rush down
• Type: Verb
• Root: पत्
• Form: Present, Third, Plural, Parasmaipada

• नागाः: elephants
• नागाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: नाग
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• अश्व-रथाः: horses and chariots
• अश्व-रथाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: अश्व + रथ
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• परंतप: O scorcher of foes (epithet)
• Type: Noun
• Root: परंतप
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

Speaker

कर्ण उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Karna
• Svarga (heaven)
• War-elephants (nāga)
• Horses (aśva)
• Chariots (ratha)
• Paraṃtapa (epithet of the addressee)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse reflects the kṣatriya-war ethos: warriors pursue victory and also accept death in battle as a path believed to lead to heaven. It highlights how desire for glory and belief in posthumous reward can drive people to embrace mortal risk.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the midst of the Kurukṣetra fighting, Karna comments on the battlefield scene: combatants mounted on elephants, horses, and chariots are being slain—falling while driven by the twin aims of winning and attaining heaven.