Shloka 44

धर्मरहस्योपदेशः

Dharma-rahasya Instruction: Vows, Truth, and Non-injury

Devanagari script

स कार्मुके महावेगं भारसाधनमुत्तमम्‌ । गिरीणामपि भेत्तारं सायकं समयोजयत्‌

Transliteration

sa kārmuke mahāvegaṁ bhārasādhanam uttamam | girīṇām api bhettāraṁ sāyakaṁ samayojayat ||

Translation

Sañjaya dit : Il ajusta sur son arc une flèche d’excellence, lancée d’une vitesse prodigieuse, capable de supporter une forte tension, et assez puissante pour fendre même les montagnes.

Word by Word

• सः: he (Bhimasena)
• सः: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• कार्मुके: on the bow
• कार्मुके: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: कार्मुक
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• महावेगम्: of great speed
• महावेगम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महावेग
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• भारसाधनम्: capable of bearing/withstanding weight (powerful, weight-handling)
• भारसाधनम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भारसाधन
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• उत्तमम्: excellent
• उत्तमम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उत्तम
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• गिरीणाम्: of mountains
• गिरीणाम्: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: गिरि
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Plural

• अपि: even
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि

• भेत्तारम्: splitter, piercer
• भेत्तारम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: भेत्तृ
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• सायकम्: arrow
• सायकम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: सायक
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• समयोजयत्: he fitted/placed (it) together; he set (the arrow) on (the bow)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + युज्
• Form: Imperfect (Lan), Third, Singular, Parasmaipada

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• संजय (Sañjaya)
• कर्मुक (bow)
• सायक (arrow)
• गिरि (mountains)
• भीमसेन (Bhīmasena) (context from the given passage)
• कर्ण (Karṇa) (context from the given passage)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how anger born of injury can intensify into a vow of vengeance, and how warfare repeatedly tests a warrior’s inner discipline. Even when martial duty demands fierce action, the ethical challenge is to keep resolve from collapsing into uncontrolled rage.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes Bhīma, badly wounded by Karṇa’s arrows, becoming enraged and preparing a supremely powerful, swift arrow on his bow, intending to kill Karṇa.