Shloka 51

अर्जुनस्य शीघ्रप्रयाणं भीम-शकुनियुद्धं च

Arjuna’s Rapid Advance and the Bhīma–Śakuni Encounter

Devanagari script

तत्र भारत कर्णेन मातज्ञास्ताडिता: शरै:

Transliteration

tatra bhārata karṇena mātaṅgās tāḍitāḥ śaraiḥ

Translation

ત્યાં, હે ભારત, કર્ણના શરોથી ગજો ઘાયલ થયા.

Word by Word

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र

• भारत: O Bharata
• Type: Noun
• Root: भारत
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• कर्णेन: by Karna
• कर्णेन: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: कर्ण
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Singular

• मातज्ञाः: those who know the measure (skilled/experienced men)
• मातज्ञाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: मातज्ञ
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• ताडिताः: struck, smitten
• Type: Verb
• Root: ताडित
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• शरैः: with arrows
• शरैः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: शर
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Bhārata (Dhṛtarāṣṭra as addressee)
• Karṇa
• War-elephants (mātaṅgāḥ)
• Arrows (śaraiḥ)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores the harsh reality of dharma as enacted in war: martial excellence and duty-driven combat can produce devastating outcomes, reminding the listener that battlefield dharma often entails grievous harm even to powerful beings.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that, in the thick of the fighting, Karṇa is striking the war-elephants with volleys of arrows, bringing them under control or down, thereby intensifying the rout and fear on the field.