Karna Parva Adhyaya 90 Shloka 1 - Mahabharata | English | Vedapath

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Shloka 1

Devanagari script

इस प्रकार श्रीमह्याभारत कर्णपर्वमें कर्ण और अजुनिका द्वैरथयुद्धविषयक नवासीवाँ अध्याय पूरा हुआ ॥/ ८९ ॥ (दाक्षिणात्य अधिक पाठके ५३ लोक मिलाकर कुल १०२३ श्लोक हैं।) #१०3८६>> श्जु #+ नवतितमो< ध्याय: अर्जुन और कर्णका घोर युद्ध

Transliteration

sañjaya uvāca | tataḥ prayātāḥ śarapātamātram avasthitāḥ kuravo bhinnasenāḥ | vidyutprakāśaṃ dadṛśuḥ samantād dhanañjayāstraṃ samudīryamāṇam ||

Translation

Sañjaya said: Then the Kurus—whose ranks had been shattered—fell back and halted only as far as the range of falling arrows. From every side they beheld a lightning-like radiance as Dhanañjaya’s weapon was being unleashed.

Word by Word

संजयःSanjaya

उवाचsaid

ततःthen; thereafter

प्रयाताःhaving advanced; having gone forth

शरपातमात्रम्only as far as an arrow’s fall (i.e., within arrow-range)

अवस्थिताःstood; were stationed

कुरवःthe Kurus

भिन्नसेनाःwith broken ranks; whose army was shattered

विद्युत्प्रकाशम्lightning-like brilliance

ददृशुःthey saw

समन्तात्on all sides; all around

धनञ्जयास्त्रम्Dhananjaya’s weapon (Arjuna’s missile)

समुदीर्यमाणम्being set in motion; being hurled/raised

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Kuravaḥ (Kuru/Kaurava army)

Dhanañjaya (Arjuna)

astra (divine weapon/missile)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the psychological and ethical dimension of warfare: extraordinary force (Arjuna’s astra) can decisively shift morale and formations, reminding readers that victory is not only physical but also mental—yet such power raises the dharmic question of proportionality and restraint amid mass suffering.

What is happening in the narrative?

After being struck and disordered, the Kaurava troops withdraw and stop at an arrow-shot distance. They witness, from all directions, a lightning-like brilliance as Arjuna (Dhanañjaya) sets a powerful weapon in motion, signaling an escalation in the battle’s intensity.