Shloka 40

अर्जुनकर्णसंनिपातवर्णनम् / The Convergence of Arjuna and Karṇa

Devanagari script

कच्चित्‌ संग्रामो विदितो वै तवायं समागमे सृजजयकौरवाणाम्‌ | यत्रावस्थामीदृशीं प्रापितो<$हं कच्चित्‌ त्वया सोड्द्य हतो दुरात्मा,क्या तुम्हें आजके संघर्षमें सूंजयों और कौरवोंका जो यह संग्राम हुआ था, उसका समाचार ज्ञात हुआ है, जिसमें मैं ऐसी दुर्दशाको पहुँचा दिया गया। क्या तुमने आज उस दुरात्मा कर्णको मार डाला?

Transliteration

kaccit saṅgrāmo vidito vai tavāyaṃ samāgame sṛñjayakauravāṇām | yatrāvasthām īdṛśīṃ prāpito 'haṃ kaccit tvayā so 'dya hato durātmā ||

Translation

Yudhiṣṭhira said: “Have you learned the news of today’s battle, the encounter between the Sṛñjayas and the Kauravas—by which I have been brought to such a wretched condition? And have you today slain that wicked-souled Karṇa?”

Word by Word

• {'kaccit': 'whether? (interrogative particle expressing anxious inquiry)', 'saṅgrāmaḥ': 'battle, armed conflict', 'viditaḥ': 'known, ascertained', 'tava': 'to you', 'ayam': 'this (present event)', 'samāgame': 'in the meeting/engagement, in the encounter', 'sṛñjaya-kauravāṇām': 'of the Sṛñjayas and the Kauravas (the two armies/sides)', 'yatra': 'wherein, in which (battle)', 'avasthām': 'state, condition', 'īdṛśīm': 'such as this, of this kind', 'prāpitaḥ': 'made to reach, brought to (a condition)', 'aham': 'I', 'adya': 'today', 'hataḥ': 'slain, killed', 'durātmā': 'evil-minded, wicked-souled (epithet of Karṇa here)'}

Speaker

युधिषछ्िर उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Yudhiṣṭhira
• Sṛñjayas
• Kauravas
• Karṇa

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the moral and psychological burden of war: even a righteous king like Yudhiṣṭhira is shaken by defeat and seeks confirmation about the fall of a formidable adversary. It reflects how dharma in battle is intertwined with grief, responsibility, and the need for truthful news.

What is happening in the narrative?

After a grievous turn in the fighting, Yudhiṣṭhira—having been reduced to a miserable state—anxiously questions a messenger/companion whether the day’s battle between the Pāṇḍava-aligned Sṛñjayas and the Kauravas is known to him, and specifically whether Karṇa has been slain.