Shloka 45

कर्णार्जुनसमागमः — The Karṇa–Arjuna Confrontation

Cosmic Spectatorship and Vows

Devanagari script

वाहयाश्वान्‌ नरव्याप्र भद्रेणेव न संशय: । “नरेश्वरर आज तुम मेरी दोनों भुजाओं और अस्त्रोंका बल देखो। मैं रणभूमिमें पाण्डवोंसहित समस्त पांचालोंका वध किये देता हूँ, इसमें संशय नहीं है। पुरुषसिंह! आप कल्याणचिन्तनपूर्वक ही इन घोड़ोंको आगे बढ़ाइये” ।।

Transliteration

sañjaya uvāca |

vāhaya aśvān naravyāghra bhadreṇeva na saṁśayaḥ |

"nareśvara adya tvaṁ mama ubhe bhujau ca astrāṇāṁ ca balaṁ paśya |

ahaṁ raṇabhūmau pāṇḍavaiḥ saha samasta-pāñcālānām vadhaṁ karomi, atra na saṁśayaḥ |

puruṣasiṁha! bhadra-cintana-pūrvakam eva imān aśvān agre vardhaya" ||

evam uktvā mahārāja sūtaputraḥ pratāpavān …

Translation

“Majukan kuda-kuda itu, harimau di antara manusia—tanpa ragu. Wahai raja, hari ini saksikan kekuatan kedua lenganku dan senjataku. Di medan perang akan kutewaskan semua Pañcāla bersama para Pāṇḍava; tak ada keraguan. Wahai singa di antara manusia, dengan niat yang membawa berkah, paculah kuda-kuda ini maju.” Setelah berkata demikian, Karṇa, putra sais yang gagah…

Word by Word

• [{'term': 'vāhaya', 'definition': 'drive (the chariot)

• urge forward'}, {'term': 'aśvān', 'definition': 'horses'}, {'term': 'naravyāghra', 'definition': '‘tiger among men’

• a heroic epithet (address to the charioteer/driver)'}, {'term': 'bhadreṇa eva', 'definition': 'with auspiciousness/for good

• with a благоприятный intention'}, {'term': 'na saṁśayaḥ', 'definition': 'no doubt

• certainly'}, {'term': 'nareśvara', 'definition': 'lord of men

• king'}, {'term': 'ubhe bhujau', 'definition': 'both arms'}, {'term': 'astrāṇām balam', 'definition': 'the power/efficacy of weapons (including missile-weapons)'}, {'term': 'raṇabhūmi', 'definition': 'battlefield'}, {'term': 'pāṇḍavaiḥ saha', 'definition': 'together with the Pandavas'}, {'term': 'samasta-pāñcālānām', 'definition': 'of all the Panchalas (collectively)'}, {'term': 'vadha', 'definition': 'slaying

• killing'}, {'term': 'puruṣasiṁha', 'definition': '‘lion among men’

• heroic epithet'}, {'term': 'agre vardhaya', 'definition': 'advance/urge forward to the front'}, {'term': 'sūtaputra', 'definition': 'son of a sūta (charioteer/bard)

• epithet of Karna'}, {'term': 'pratāpavān', 'definition': 'mighty

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Karna (sūtaputra)
• Pāṇḍavas
• Pāñcālas
• horses
• battlefield (raṇabhūmi)
• weapons (astrāṇi)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The passage highlights the warrior’s mindset in epic warfare: unwavering resolve, confidence in personal prowess, and the rhetoric of certainty (“no doubt”). Ethically, it also foregrounds the Mahābhārata’s tension between martial duty and the destructive consequences of vows made in anger and rivalry.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports a speech in which Karna, addressing his charioteer with heroic epithets, orders him to drive the horses forward. Karna proclaims that the king will witness the power of his arms and weapons and declares his intention to slay the Pāṇḍavas along with all the Pāñcālas on the battlefield.