Shloka 16

Devanagari script

विनष्टै: पाण्डवेयैश्न सशैलवनकाननाम्‌ | वसुंधरामिमां कर्ण भोक्ष्यामो हतकण्टकाम्‌,“कर्ण! पाण्डवोंके नष्ट हो जानेपर हमलोग पर्वत, वन और काननोंसहित इस निष्कण्टक वसुधाका राज्य भोगेंगे

Transliteration

vinaṣṭaiḥ pāṇḍaveyaiś na saśailavanakānanām | vasuṃdharām imāṃ karṇa bhokṣyāmo hatakaṇṭakām ||

Translation

Sañjaya said: “When the sons of Pāṇḍu have been destroyed, O Karṇa, we shall enjoy the sovereignty of this earth—complete with its mountains, forests, and groves—now made ‘thornless,’ with all obstacles removed.”

Word by Word

• विनष्टैः: by (their being) destroyed
• विनष्टैः: Karana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विनष्ट (वि-नश् धातु से क्त)
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

• पाण्डवेयैः: by the sons of Pandu (Pandavas)
• पाण्डवेयैः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाण्डवेय
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

• न: not
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न

• स: he/it (that)
• स: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• शैल: mountains
• शैल: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: शैल
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• वन: forests
• वन: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: वन
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Plural

• काननानाम्: of groves/woods
• काननानाम्: Sambandha
• Type: Noun
• Root: कानन
• Form: Neuter, Genitive, Plural

• वसुन्धराम्: the earth/land
• वसुन्धराम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: वसुन्धरा
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• इमाम्: this
• इमाम्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: इदम्
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• कर्ण: O Karna
• कर्ण: Sambodhana
• Type: Noun
• Root: कर्ण
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• भोक्ष्यामः: we shall enjoy/rule
• Type: Verb
• Root: भुज्
• Form: Simple Future (Luṭ), First, Plural, Parasmaipada

• हतकण्टकाम्: with thorns removed; free of enemies/obstacles
• हतकण्टकाम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: हतकण्टक
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Karṇa
• Pāṇḍavas
• Earth (Vasundharā)
• Mountains
• Forests (vana/kānana)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse exposes the ethical danger of viewing victory as the removal of “thorns” (obstacles) and treating the destruction of rivals as a legitimate path to enjoyment of the earth. It reflects the war-ethic tension in the epic: political ambition and triumphalism can eclipse dharma by normalizing violence as a means to sovereignty.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports a statement addressed to Karṇa: the speaker anticipates that once the Pāṇḍavas are eliminated, the victors will rule and enjoy the entire earth—mountains, forests, and all—now imagined as ‘thornless,’ i.e., free from opposing claimants and impediments.