Shloka 13

कर्णपर्व — चतुर्दशोऽध्यायः

Arjuna’s Suppression of the Saṃśaptakas; Kṛṣṇa’s Strategic Admonition; Battlefield Inventory

Devanagari script

ततः प्रतिकृते यत्नं कुर्वाणी तो महारणे । कृतप्रतिकृते यत्तो शरसड्घैरभीतवत्‌

Transliteration

tataḥ pratikṛte yatnaṃ kurvāṇī to mahāraṇe | kṛtapratikṛte yatto śarasandghair abhītavat

Translation

Kemudian, dalam pertempuran besar itu, bertekad membalas apa yang telah dilakukan, keduanya tanpa gentar melancarkan serangan balasan demi serangan balasan dengan rentetan anak panah.

Word by Word

ततःthen, thereafter

प्रतिकृतेin/when retaliation (counter-action) was made

यत्नम्effort

कुर्वाणीdoing, making

तुbut, however

महारणेin the great battle

कृतप्रतिकृतेwhen counter-retaliation had been done

यत्तःstriving, intent

शरसङ्घैःwith volleys/groups of arrows

अभीतवत्fearlessly, like one unafraid

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

स

संजय (Sañjaya)

श

शर (arrows)

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 warrior ethos of answering aggression with disciplined effort and fearlessness; ethically, it also points to how cycles of retaliation intensify conflict, a recurring concern in the Mahābhārata’s war narrative.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes a combatant in the great battle making a determined counter-attack—seeking retaliation and responding with dense volleys of arrows, showing no fear.