Shloka 9

अध्याय २९: कर्णस्य शल्यं प्रति शापस्मरणं च युद्धनिश्चयः | Chapter 29: Karṇa recalls curses to Śalya and declares resolve for battle

Devanagari script

सुरपतिसमविक्रमस्तत- स्त्रिदशवरावरजोपमं युधि । दिनकरकिरणप्रभै: पृषत्कै रवितनयो< भ्यहनच्छिनिप्रवीरम्‌,उस समय देवराज इन्द्रके समान पराक्रमी सूर्यपुत्र कर्णने युद्धस्थलमें इन्द्रके छोटे भाई उपेन्द्रके समान शक्तिशाली शिनिवंशके प्रमुख वीर सात्यकिको सूर्यकी किरणोंके समान तेजस्वी बाणोंद्वारा घायल कर दिया

Transliteration

surapati-samavikramas tataḥ tridāśa-vara-avarajopamaṃ yudhi | dinakara-kiraṇa-prabhaiḥ pṛṣatkaiḥ ravitanayo 'bhyahanac chinipravīram ||

Translation

Sañjaya dijo: Entonces Karṇa, hijo del Sol, cuyo valor igualaba al de Indra, hirió en combate al principal héroe de la estirpe de Śini—Sātyaki—semejante a Upendra (Viṣṇu), el hermano menor del señor de los dioses, atravesándolo con flechas que ardían como los rayos del sol. El verso subraya la escalada implacable de la fuerza marcial: aun los campeones más célebres quedan expuestos a la herida bajo la severa ética del deber en el campo de batalla.

Word by Word

• {'surapati': 'lord of the gods

• Indra', 'samavikrama': 'of equal valor/prowess', 'tataḥ': 'then

• thereafter', 'tridāśa': 'the thirty (gods)

• celestial beings', 'vara': 'excellent

• best', 'avaraja': 'younger brother', 'upama': 'comparable to

• like', 'yudhi': 'in battle', 'dinakara': 'maker of the day

• the Sun', 'kiraṇa': 'ray', 'prabhā': 'splendor

• radiance', 'pṛṣatka': 'arrow', 'ravitanaya': 'son of the Sun

• Karṇa', 'abhyahanat': 'struck

• wounded', 'śini-pravīra': 'foremost hero of the Śini clan (Sātyaki)'}

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Karṇa
• Indra (Surapati)
• Upendra (Viṣṇu)
• Sātyaki
• Śini clan
• arrows (pṛṣatkāḥ)
• sun rays (dinakara-kiraṇāḥ)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the stern reality of kṣatriya-dharma in war: even celebrated warriors must endure harm as combat intensifies. It also uses elevated similes (Indra/Upendra; sun-rays) to frame martial prowess as both awe-inspiring and morally weighty, reminding the listener that glory in battle is inseparable from suffering and consequence.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports that Karṇa, likened to Indra in valor, strikes and wounds Sātyaki—chief hero of the Śini lineage—who is compared to Upendra (Viṣṇu). Karṇa’s arrows are described as radiant like the sun’s rays, emphasizing the force and brilliance of the attack.