Shloka 37

Devanagari script

चारुवेषधरं वीरं॑ चारुमौलिशिरोधरम्‌ । तन्मुखं सूतपुत्रस्य पूर्णचन्द्रसमद्युति,सूतपुत्र कर्णका मुख पूर्ण चन्द्रमाके समान कान्तिमान्‌ था। उसने मनोहर वेष धारण किया था। वह वीरोचित शोभासे सम्पन्न था। उसके मस्तक और कण्ठ भी मनोहर थे

Transliteration

cāruveṣadharaṁ vīraṁ cārumauḻiśirodharam | tanmukhaṁ sūtaputrasya pūrṇacandrasamadyuti ||

Translation

Śalya dijo: «Aquel héroe, el hijo del auriga—Karna—lucía un atuendo cautivador, con cabeza gallarda y porte noble. Su rostro resplandecía con el fulgor de la luna llena».

Word by Word

चारु-वेष-धरम्wearing a beautiful dress/attire

वीरम्the hero/warrior

चारु-मौलि-शिरो-धरम्bearing a beautiful head/crest (beautifully crowned)

तत्that

मुखम्face

सूत-पुत्रस्यof the charioteer’s son (Karna)

पूर्ण-चन्द्र-सम-द्युतिhaving splendor equal to the full moon

Speaker

शल्य उवाच

Characters & Entities

Śalya

Karna (Sūtaputra)

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 contrast between external brilliance (beauty, dignity, heroic bearing) and the grim ethical setting of war, reminding readers that splendor and valor do not by themselves resolve the deeper moral costs of conflict.

What is happening in the narrative?

Śalya is describing Karna’s striking appearance—his handsome attire and moonlike radiance—within the battlefield context of the Karṇa Parva, where Śalya serves as Karna’s charioteer and speaks about him.