Shloka 19

कर्णभीमयुद्धम्

Karna–Bhīma Combat Report

Devanagari script

त॑ द्रोणग: पञचविंशत्या निजघान स्तनान्तरे । रोषितो भरतश्रेष्ठ कौन्तेयेन यशस्विना,भरतश्रेष्ठ! यशस्वी कुन्तीकुमारके क्रोध दिलानेपर द्रोणाचार्यने उनकी छातीमें पचीस बाण मारे

Transliteration

tad droṇagaḥ pañcaviṁśatyā nijaghāna stanāntare | roṣito bharataśreṣṭha kaunteyena yaśasvinā ||

Translation

Sañjaya said: Enraged, Droṇa struck him in the region of the chest with twenty-five arrows—provoked by the illustrious son of Kuntī. The exchange shows how, amid the pressures of battle, anger and retaliation can drive even renowned warriors into ever more violent escalation.

Word by Word

तदाthen

द्रोणःDrona

पञ्चविंशत्याwith twenty-five (arrows)

निजघानstruck, smote

स्तनान्तरेin the space between the breasts (on the chest)

रोषितःenraged

भरतश्रेष्ठO best of the Bharatas

कौन्तेयेनby the son of Kunti

यशस्विनाglorious, renowned

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Droṇa (Droṇācārya)

Kaunteya (son of Kuntī, i.e., Arjuna)

Dhṛtarāṣṭra (implied by the vocative bharataśreṣṭha)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how krodha (anger) intensifies conflict: even disciplined, celebrated warriors can be driven to harsher violence when provoked, underscoring the ethical danger of letting rage govern action in war.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Droṇa, angered in the encounter with the famed Kaunteya (Arjuna), shoots and strikes with twenty-five arrows aimed at the chest region.