Shloka 57

Devanagari script

ततोडरर्जुनो द्वादशभि: सुमुक्ते- वराहकर्णनिशितै: समर्प्य । नाराचमाशीविषतुल्यवेग- माकर्णपूर्णायतमुत्ससर्ज,तब अर्जुनने अच्छी तरह छोड़े हुए बारह बराहकर्ण नामक पैने बाणोंद्वारा कर्णको घायल करके पुनः विषधर सर्पके तुल्य एक वेगशाली नाराचको कानतक खींचकर उसकी ओर छोड़ दिया

Transliteration

tato 'rjuno dvādaśabhiḥ sumuktais varāhakārṇaniśitaiḥ samarpya | nārācam āśīviṣatulyavegam ākārṇapūrṇāyatam utsasarja ||

Translation

Sañjaya dijo: Entonces Arjuna hirió a Karṇa con doce flechas varāhakārṇa, agudas y bien disparadas. Y una vez más tensó un dardo nārāca hasta la oreja, con el arco plenamente estirado, y lo lanzó contra él con una velocidad semejante a la de una serpiente venenosa.

Word by Word

ततःthen/thereupon

अर्जुनःArjuna

द्वादशभिःwith twelve

सुमुक्तैःwell-released (well-shot)

वराहकर्णनिशितैःsharp, of the 'boar-ear' type (arrows)

समर्प्यhaving struck/inflicted (having applied)

नाराचम्a narāca arrow

आशीविषतुल्यवेगम्having speed like a venomous serpent

आकर्णपूर्णायतम्drawn fully to the ear (to full draw)

उत्ससर्जhe discharged/shot forth

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Arjuna

Karṇa

varāhakārṇa arrows

nārāca arrow

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 kṣatriya discipline: focused execution of one’s duty in battle through skill, steadiness, and decisive action, even while the larger war carries heavy ethical consequences.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya narrates that Arjuna first wounds Karṇa with twelve sharp varāhakārṇa arrows, then draws a powerful nārāca arrow fully to the ear and releases it at Karṇa with serpent-like speed.