Shloka 25

कर्णपर्व — चतुर्दशोऽध्यायः

Arjuna’s Suppression of the Saṃśaptakas; Kṛṣṇa’s Strategic Admonition; Battlefield Inventory

Devanagari script

बाणसड्घैर्वृतं घोरमाकाशं समपद्यत

Transliteration

bāṇa-saṅghair vṛtaṃ ghoraṃ ākāśaṃ samapadyata

Translation

Sañjaya dit : Le ciel devint un spectacle effroyable, entièrement rempli et couvert par des nuées de flèches—image de la violence écrasante de la guerre, quand la résolution des hommes fait des cieux eux-mêmes un champ de blessures.

Word by Word

• बाणसङ्घैः: by clusters/masses of arrows
• बाणसङ्घैः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: बाणसङ्घ
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

• वृतम्: covered, enveloped
• वृतम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वृत
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• घोरम्: terrible, dreadful
• घोरम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: घोर
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• आकाशम्: the sky
• आकाशम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: आकाश
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• समपद्यत: became / came to be
• समपद्यत: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + पद्
• Form: Imperfect (Laṅ), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• arrows
• sky (ākāśa)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores the dehumanizing scale of war: when conflict escalates, even the natural order (the sky) is metaphorically overwhelmed. It implicitly cautions that unchecked martial fury eclipses clarity and compassion, turning the world into an arena of fear.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes the intensity of the battle: volleys of arrows are so dense that the sky appears covered and terrifying, conveying the ferocity of the ongoing combat in the Karṇa Parva.