Shloka 583

Devanagari script

तथा स सोमकान्‌ हत्वा तस्थावेको महारथ: । महाराज! इस प्रकार शत्रुसूदन महाधनुर्धर कर्ण शत्रुपक्षके पैदल, घोड़े, रथ और हाथियोंका संहार करके अविचलभावसे खड़ा रहा। जैसे समस्त प्राणियोंका संहार करके काल खड़ा हो, उसी प्रकार महाबली महारथी कर्ण सोमकोंका विनाश करके युद्धभूमिमें अकेला ही डटा रहा

Transliteration

tathā sa somakān hatvā tasthāveko mahārathaḥ |

Translation

Sañjaya berkata: Setelah demikian membunuh kaum Somaka, Karna—maharathi—berdiri teguh seorang diri, tak tergoyahkan. Seusai menumpas infanteri, kuda, kereta, dan gajah pihak musuh, ia tetap mantap di medan laga, laksana Kāla berdiri setelah membawa kebinasaan atas segala makhluk. Demikianlah Karna yang perkasa, setelah memusnahkan Somaka, menguasai gelanggang seorang diri.

Word by Word

तथाthus, in that manner

सःhe

सोमकान्the Somakas

हत्वाhaving slain

तस्थौstood

एकःalone, single

महारथःa great chariot-warrior

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Karṇa

Somakas

Kāla (Time/Death, as a simile)

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 epic’s stark vision of battlefield dharma: unwavering resolve and martial prowess can appear awe-inspiring, yet the simile of Kāla (Time/Death) frames such triumph as impersonal, inevitable destruction—reminding the listener that war magnifies both heroic steadiness and the tragic, fated nature of slaughter.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports that Karṇa has routed and killed the Somaka forces and, after destroying multiple arms of the enemy host, stands alone and firm on the battlefield, compared to Kāla standing after universal destruction.