Shloka 57

अध्याय ६० — कर्णस्य पाञ्चाल-सोमक-निग्रहः

Karna’s Suppression of the Panchala–Somaka Forces

Devanagari script

उत्तमौजाश्न हार्दिक्यं भीम॑ भीमपराक्रमम्‌ | छादयामास सहसा मेघो वृष्ट्येव पर्वतम्‌

Transliteration

uttamaujāś ca hārdikyaṃ bhīmaṃ bhīmaparākramam | chādayāmāsa sahasā megho vṛṣṭyeva parvatam ||

Translation

Sañjaya dit : Alors Uttamaujā couvrit soudain Hārdikya (Kṛtavarmā), guerrier d’une puissance redoutable, d’une pluie de flèches, comme un nuage gorgé d’eau voile une montagne. Et ce même Hārdikya, farouche d’allure et terrible de prouesse, étouffa à son tour Bhīma sous une averse de traits pareille.

Word by Word

• उत्तमौजाः: Uttamaujas (a warrior)
• उत्तमौजाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: उत्तमौजस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• हार्दिक्यम्: Hārdikya (Kṛtavarman)
• हार्दिक्यम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: हार्दिक्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• भीमम्: terrible
• भीमम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भीम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• भीमपराक्रमम्: of dreadful prowess
• भीमपराक्रमम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भीम-पराक्रम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• छादयामास: covered, enveloped
• Type: Verb
• Root: छाद् (धातु)
• Form: Perfect (लिट्), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

• सहसा: suddenly, quickly
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सहसा (अव्यय)

• मेघः: a cloud
• मेघः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: मेघ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• वृष्ट्या: by rain
• वृष्ट्या: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: वृष्टि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Instrumental, Singular

• इव: like, as
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इव (अव्यय)

• पर्वतम्: a mountain
• पर्वतम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: पर्वत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Uttamaujā
• Hārdikya (Kṛtavarmā)
• Bhīma
• megha (cloud)
• vṛṣṭi (rain)
• parvata (mountain)
• bāṇa (arrows)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the harsh reciprocity of battlefield action: in war, prowess is met with equal counter-prowess, and the contest becomes an engulfing exchange of force. Ethically, it points to how violence tends to mirror and multiply itself, even among renowned heroes.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes a rapid missile-exchange: Uttamaujā overwhelms Hārdikya (Kṛtavarmā) with arrows, and Hārdikya in turn overwhelms Bhīma. The image is intensified through a simile—like a cloud covering a mountain with rain.