Shloka 13

कर्णपरर्वणि त्रयोचत्वारिंशदध्यायः (Karṇa-parva Adhyāya 43) — Kṛṣṇa’s Battlefield Assessment and the Reversal Around Bhīma

Devanagari script

मत्तावगीतैरविविधै: खरोष्टनिनदोपमै: । अनावृता मैथुने ता: कामचाराश्न सर्वश:,“वे गदहोंके रेंकने और ऊँटोंके बलबलानेकी-सी आवाजसे मतवालेपनमें ही भाँति- भाँतिके गीत गाती हैं और मैथुनकालमें भी परदेके भीतर नहीं रहती हैं। वे सब-की-सब सर्वथा स्वेच्छाचारिणी होती हैं

Transliteration

mattāvagītair avividhaiḥ kharoṣṭa-ninada-upamaiḥ | anāvṛtā maithune tāḥ kāmacārāś ca sarvaśaḥ ||

Translation

Dijo Karna: «En su embriaguez cantan toda clase de canciones, con sonidos semejantes al rebuzno de los asnos y al bramido de los camellos. Incluso en el acto sexual permanecen sin cubrirse, y en todo obran según su propio capricho.»

Word by Word

मत्ताःintoxicated, maddened

अवगीतैःwith songs/chantings

विविधैःvarious, manifold

खरोष्टनिनदोपमैःcomparable to the braying of donkeys and the bellowing of camels

अनावृताःuncovered, not veiled

मैथुनेin sexual union; at the time of intercourse

ताःthose women; they

कामचाराःacting at will; wanton/free-living

चand

सर्वशःentirely, in every way

Speaker

कर्ण उवाच

Characters & Entities

Karna

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse functions as a moralizing critique: Karna condemns behavior driven by intoxication and unchecked desire, portraying it as shameless and socially degrading. It reflects the epic’s broader concern with self-control (dama), propriety (ācāra), and the ethical consequences of kāma when ungoverned.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Karna Parva, Karna is speaking harshly, using vivid animal-sound comparisons to insult and denounce certain women’s conduct. The line is part of a rhetorical passage where he characterizes them as drunken, loud, immodest, and acting without restraint.