Shloka 57

अलायुधस्य भीमवधसंकल्पः

Alāyudha’s Resolve to Confront Bhīma

Devanagari script

दिष्ठ्या विकर्णिशभि: कर्णो रणे नीत: पराभवम्‌ | विमुखश्न कृत: शल्यो युवाभ्यां पुरुषर्षभी,“हमारे सौभाग्यसे ही आचार्य द्रोण और महाबली कृतवर्मा युद्धमें परास्त हो गये। भाग्यसे ही कर्ण भी तुम्हारे बाणोंद्वारा रणक्षेत्रमें पराभवको पहुँच गया। नरश्रेष्ठ वीरो! तुम दोनोंने राजा शल्यको भी युद्धसे विमुख कर दिया

Transliteration

sañjaya uvāca | diṣṭyā vikārṇiśabhiḥ karṇo raṇe nītaḥ parābhavam | vimukhaś ca kṛtaḥ śalyo yuvābhyāṃ puruṣarṣabhau ||

Translation

Sañjaya dit : «Par heureuse fortune, Karṇa—avec Vikārṇi et Śabhi—fut poussé à la défaite sur le champ de bataille. Et vous deux, héros tels des taureaux parmi les hommes, avez aussi détourné le roi Śalya du combat.»

Word by Word

• {'sañjaya uvāca': 'Sañjaya said', 'diṣṭyā': 'by good fortune

• providentially', 'vikārṇi': 'Vikārṇa (a Kaurava prince)', 'śabhiḥ': 'Śabhi (a warrior/ally named Śabhi

• instrumental plural in the compound)', 'karṇaḥ': 'Karṇa', 'raṇe': 'in battle

• on the battlefield', 'nītaḥ': 'led

• brought to (a state)', 'parābhavam': 'defeat

• reverse', 'vimukhaḥ': 'turned away

• facing away', 'ca': 'and', 'kṛtaḥ': 'made

• rendered', 'śalyaḥ': 'Śalya (king of Madra)', 'yuvābhyām': 'by you two (dual instrumental)', 'puruṣarṣabhau': 'O best of men

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Karṇa
• Vikārṇa
• Śabhi
• Śalya
• battlefield (raṇa)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the Mahābhārata’s recurring tension between human effort and daiva (fortune): even mighty warriors can be brought low, and success in war is portrayed as dependent not only on prowess but also on providential turns—inviting reflection on humility and the limits of power.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that key Kaurava champions—Karṇa (with Vikārṇa and Śabhi) and King Śalya—have been checked: Karṇa has been forced into defeat in the fighting, and Śalya has been made to withdraw or lose his will to engage, indicating a significant advantage gained by the opposing heroes addressed as ‘you two’.