Shloka 4

Devanagari script

यथाप्रतिज्ञं योधानां राधेय: कृतवानपि । कुरूणामथ सर्वेषां कर्ण: शत्रुनिष्‌दन:

Transliteration

yathāpratijñaṃ yodhānāṃ rādheyaḥ kṛtavān api | kurūṇām atha sarveṣāṃ karṇaḥ śatruniṣūdanaḥ ||

Translation

संजय बोले— राधेय कर्ण ने योद्धाओं के विषय में अपनी प्रतिज्ञा के अनुसार सब कुछ कर दिखाया। तत्पश्चात शत्रुनिषूदन कर्ण ने कौरवों के समस्त शत्रुओं के विनाश का कार्य आरम्भ किया।

Word by Word

यथाas, according to

प्रतिज्ञम्the vow/promise

योधानाम्of the warriors

राधेयःRadheya (Karna)

कृतवान्did, fulfilled

अपिindeed, even

कुरूणाम्of the Kurus

अथthen, now

सर्वेषाम्of all

कर्णःKarna

शत्रु-निषूदनःslayer of enemies

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Rādheya (Karna)

Kurus (Kauravas)

warriors (yodhāḥ)

enemies (śatravaḥ)

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 highlights the ethical force of a vow (pratijñā): a warrior’s identity and honor are tied to keeping one’s word, even amid the harsh ambiguities of war. It also hints at the tension between personal loyalty/pledge and the broader demands of dharma in a destructive conflict.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports that Karna, called Rādheya, fulfills his declared intention regarding the warriors and then proceeds as a formidable enemy-slayer, intensifying the battle on behalf of the Kurus (Kauravas).