Shloka 14

Chapter 136: Pandava Counter-Encirclement and the Vāyavya-Astra Disruption

Devanagari script

तत्राद्भुतमपश्याम राधेयस्य पराक्रमम्‌

Transliteration

tatrādbhutam apaśyāma rādheyasya parākramam

Translation

Sanjaya said: There we witnessed something astonishing—the heroic prowess of Radheya (Karna). In the midst of the battle’s moral strain and relentless violence, his extraordinary valor stood out as a striking spectacle of martial excellence.

Word by Word

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र

• अद्भुतम्: a wonder, something marvelous
• अद्भुतम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अद्भुत
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• अपश्याम: we saw
• अपश्याम: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश्
• Form: Imperfect (Lan), First, Plural

• राधेयस्य: of Rādheya (Karna)
• राधेयस्य: Sambandha
• Type: Noun
• Root: राधेय
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• पराक्रमम्: valor, prowess
• पराक्रमम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: पराक्रम
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sanjaya
• Radheya (Karna)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how extraordinary martial prowess can appear 'astonishing' even amid a tragic war, inviting reflection on the tension between admiration for valor (kṣātra-tejas) and the ethical weight of violence in a dharma-conflicted battlefield.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sanjaya, narrating the battle to Dhritarashtra, reports that they witnessed an astonishing display of Karna’s (Radheya’s) heroic prowess at that moment in the fighting.