Shloka 413

अध्याय ९ — कर्णस्य प्रहारः, योधयुग्मनियोजनम्, शैनेय-कैकेययोर्युद्धविन्यासः

Devanagari script

कथमिन्द्रोपमं वीर मृत्युर्युद्धे समस्पृशत्‌ । मैं पूछता हूँ कि युद्धमें बहुत-से दिव्यास्त्रोंकी वर्षा करते हुए इन्द्रके समान पराक्रमी वीर कर्णको मृत्यु कैसे छू सकी?

Transliteration

katham indropamaṃ vīra mṛtyur yuddhe samaspṛśat |

Translation

Vaiśampāyana said: “How could Death, on the battlefield, come to touch that hero—Karna—whose prowess was like Indra’s, even as he rained down a multitude of divine missiles?” The question underscores the moral shock of war: even the mightiest, armed with celestial power, remain subject to fate, time, and the consequences woven by dharma and past deeds.

Word by Word

कथम्how?

इन्द्रोपमम्Indra-like, comparable to Indra

वीरम्the hero

मृत्युःdeath

युद्धेin battle

समस्पृशत्touched, came upon

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Indra

Mṛtyu (Death, personified)

Karna

divyāstra (divine weapons)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Geographic Context

Sandhi Notes