Shloka 163

अध्याय ९ — कर्णस्य प्रहारः, योधयुग्मनियोजनम्, शैनेय-कैकेययोर्युद्धविन्यासः

Devanagari script

मातड़ इव मनत्तेन ड्विपेन्द्रेण निपातित: । जैसे मतवाले गजराजद्दवारा गिराया हुआ हाथी पड़ा हो, उसी प्रकार कर्ण खूनसे लथपथ होकर अवश्य इस पृथ्वीकी शोभा बढ़ाता हुआ सो रहा है

Transliteration

Dhṛtarāṣṭra uvāca — mattad iva manattvena dvipendreṇa nipātitaḥ | yathā matavāle gajarājena nipātitaḥ hastī patitaḥ syāt, tathā Karṇaḥ śoṇitena liptāṅgaḥ pṛthivyāḥ śobhāṃ vardhayan niścitameva śete |

Translation

ધૃતરાષ્ટ્ર બોલ્યા—જેમ મત્ત ગજેન્દ્ર દ્વારા પાડી દેવાયેલો હાથી ધરતી પર પડ્યો રહે, તેમ કર્ણ રક્તથી લથપથ દેહ લઈને પૃથ્વી પર ફેલાઈ પડ્યો છે; જાણે મૃત્યુમાં પણ રણભૂમિની કઠોર શોભા વધારતો હોય.

Word by Word

मातङ्गःelephant

इवlike/as

मदात्तेनby one intoxicated (with musth/pride)

द्विपेन्द्रेणby the lord of elephants (elephant-king)

निपातितःfelled/caused to fall

Speaker

धृतराष्ट उवाच

Characters & Entities

ध

धृतराष्ट्र (Dhṛtarāṣṭra)

क

कर्ण (Karṇa)

द

द्विपेन्द्र / गजराज (lord of elephants)

प

पृथ्वी (earth)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores the moral cost of war: even the greatest warrior’s power ends in helplessness, and ‘glory’ gained through violence culminates in blood and silence. It invites reflection on dharma—how ambition and loyalty in adharma-driven conflict lead to inevitable suffering.

What is happening in the narrative?

Dhṛtarāṣṭra describes Karṇa lying on the battlefield, blood-smeared and fallen, comparing him to an elephant brought down by a stronger, rut-maddened elephant—an image emphasizing Karṇa’s might and the finality of his defeat.