Shloka 25

Adhyāya 113: Karṇa–Bhīma Śaravarṣa and the Battlefield Aftermath (कर्णभीमशरवर्षः)

Devanagari script

यदि कार्ष्णिर्धनुष्पाणिरिह स्यान्मकरध्वज:

Transliteration

yadi kārṣṇir dhanuspāṇir iha syān makaradhvajaḥ

Translation

Sañjaya said: “If Kārṣṇi—bow in hand—were here, bearing the banner marked with the makara, then the course of this battle would not be the same.” The line conveys a moral undercurrent common in the war narrative: the presence of a righteous, capable protector can restrain injustice and alter outcomes, while his absence leaves space for calamity to unfold.

Word by Word

• यदि: if
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यदि

• कार्ष्णिः: Kārṣṇi (Krishna, descendant of Kṛṣṇa)
• कार्ष्णिः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: कार्ष्णि
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• धनुष्पाणिः: one who has a bow in hand; bow-armed
• धनुष्पाणिः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: धनुष्पाणि
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• इह: here
• इह: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इह

• स्यात्: would be / might be
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस्
• Form: Optative (Vidhi-lin), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

• मकरध्वजः: Makara-bannered one (Kāma)
• मकरध्वजः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: मकरध्वज
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Kārṣṇi
• bow (dhanus)
• banner/standard (dhvaja)
• makara (mythic sea-creature emblem)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse implies that the presence of a strong, dharma-aligned warrior-leader can check wrongdoing and prevent disastrous turns in war; absence of such guardianship allows adharma to gain ground.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya, reporting the battlefield to Dhṛtarāṣṭra, reflects conditionally: if Kārṣṇi (a Yādava hero, typically understood in this context as Sātyaki) were present here with bow in hand and his distinctive banner, the situation would be different—suggesting a missed or lacking support at a critical moment.