Shloka 11

दुर्योधन-कर्ण-संवादः

Duryodhana–Karna Dialogue on Vyūha-bheda and Daiva

Devanagari script

ततो5भवन्महाराज तव सैन्यस्य विस्मय: । बृहत्क्षत्रेण तत्‌ कर्म कृत॑ दृष्टवा सुदुष्करम्‌,महाराज! इससे आपकी सेनाको बड़ा आश्चर्य हुआ। बृहत्क्षत्रद्वारा किये हुए उस अत्यन्त दुष्कर कर्मको देखकर उनकी अपेक्षा अपनी विशेषता प्रकट करते हुए द्रोणाचार्यने रणक्षेत्रमें परम दुर्जय दिव्य ब्रह्मास्त्र प्रकट किया

Transliteration

tato 'bhavan mahārāja tava sainyasya vismayaḥ | bṛhatkṣatreṇa tat karma kṛtaṃ dṛṣṭvā suduṣkaram ||

Translation

Sañjaya said: “Then, O King, your army was struck with astonishment on seeing that exceedingly difficult feat accomplished by Bṛhatkṣatra. In response—seeking to display his own superior prowess—Droṇācārya revealed on the battlefield a supremely irresistible, divine Brahmāstra.”

Word by Word

• {'tataḥ': 'then, thereafter', 'abhavat': 'arose, came to be', 'mahārāja': 'O great king (address to Dhṛtarāṣṭra)', 'tava': 'your', 'sainyasya': 'of the army', 'vismayaḥ': 'astonishment, wonder', 'bṛhatkṣatreṇa': 'by Bṛhatkṣatra (instrumental case)', 'tat': 'that', 'karma': 'deed, action, feat', 'kṛtam': 'done, accomplished', 'dṛṣṭvā': 'having seen', 'suduṣkaram': 'very difficult to do, arduous'}

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Dhṛtarāṣṭra
• Kaurava army (tava sainya)
• Bṛhatkṣatra
• Droṇācārya
• Brahmāstra

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how displays of extraordinary prowess in war can provoke competitive escalation—leading commanders to unveil ever more destructive means. Ethically, it points to the peril of pride and rivalry in a battlefield context, where the urge to outshine others can intensify suffering.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports that the Kaurava forces were amazed after witnessing an extremely difficult feat performed by Bṛhatkṣatra. In reaction, Droṇa seeks to assert his own exceptional capability and manifests the formidable divine weapon, the Brahmāstra, on the battlefield.