Shloka 31

भीमकर्णसमागमः | Bhīma–Karṇa Encounter

Devanagari script

तौ हृष्टरूपौ सम्प्रेक्ष्य कौरवेयास्तु सर्वश: । निराशा: समपद्यन्त पुत्रस्य तव जीविते

Transliteration

tau hṛṣṭarūpau samprekṣya kauraveyās tu sarvaśaḥ | nirāśāḥ samapadyanta putrasya tava jīvite ||

Translation

Sañjaya said: Seeing those two with faces lit by joy, all the Kaurava warriors, without exception, fell into despair regarding the survival of your son. The sight of the pair’s confident elation signaled a decisive turn in the battle, and the Kauravas’ hope for the prince’s life collapsed.

Word by Word

• तौ: those two
• तौ: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Dual

• हृष्टरूपौ: with delighted appearance
• हृष्टरूपौ: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: हृष्टरूप
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Dual

• सम्प्रेक्ष्य: having seen / observing
• सम्प्रेक्ष्य: Karma
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-प्र-ईक्ष्
• Form: क्त्वा (absolutive/gerund), Parasmaipada (usage)

• कौरवेयाः: the Kaurava men / sons of the Kuru line
• कौरवेयाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: कौरवेय
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• तु: but
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु

• सर्वशः: entirely / in every way
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सर्वशस्

• निराशाः: hopeless / without expectation
• निराशाः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निराश
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• समपद्यन्त: became / fell into (a state)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-आपद्
• Form: Imperfect (लङ्), Ātmanepada, Third, Plural

• पुत्रस्य: of (your) son
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुत्र
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• तव: your
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: युष्मद्
• Form: Genitive, Singular, —

• जीविते: in (the matter of) life / survival
• जीविते: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: जीवित
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Kauravas (Kauraveyāḥ)
• your son (putra—addressed to Dhṛtarāṣṭra)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how quickly confidence and despair spread in war: outward signs of an opponent’s joy can shatter morale, and attachment to a single leader’s survival can destabilize an entire force.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that, upon seeing two figures appearing exultant, the Kaurava side collectively loses hope that Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s son will survive, indicating a grave reversal for the Kauravas.