Shloka 57

Devanagari script

तत्र शब्दो महानासीत्‌ पञ्चालानां महामते । वध्यतां सूतपुत्रेण मित्रार्थे मित्रगृद्धिना,महामते! वहाँ मित्रका हित चाहनेवाले सूतपुत्र कर्णके द्वारा मित्रकी ही भलाईके लिये मारे जानेवाले पांचालोंका महान्‌ आर्तनाद होने लगा

Transliteration

tatra śabdo mahān āsīt pāñcālānāṃ mahāmate | vadhyatāṃ sūtaputreṇa mitrārthe mitragṛddhinā ||

Translation

Sañjaya said: O wise one, there arose there a great cry among the Pāñcālas, as they were being slain by Karṇa, the son of a charioteer—one who, for the sake of his friend, was fiercely intent on his friend’s cause.

Word by Word

तत्रthere

शब्दःcry, sound

महान्great

आसीत्was, arose

पञ्चालानाम्of the Panchalas

महामतेO great-minded one

वध्यताम्were being slain / let them be slain

सूतपुत्रेणby the charioteer’s son (Karna)

मित्रार्थेfor a friend’s sake

मित्रगृद्धिनाeager for (the welfare of) a friend / friend-seeking

महामतेO great-minded one

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Dhṛtarāṣṭra

Karṇa

Pāñcālas

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the moral tension where personal loyalty (mitra-dharma) is used to sanction extreme violence. It invites reflection on how devotion to a friend’s cause can eclipse broader ethical considerations, producing suffering that is audible as collective lament.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that, on the battlefield, a tremendous cry arose among the Pāñcālas as Karṇa was cutting them down. Karṇa is characterized as acting ‘for his friend’s sake,’ emphasizing his fierce commitment to his ally (implicitly Duryodhana) while the Pāñcālas endure the slaughter.