Shloka 60

Devanagari script

तं कर्ण: संयुगे राजन्‌ प्रत्यवारयदाशुगै:

Transliteration

taṃ karṇaḥ saṃyuge rājan pratyavārayad āśugaiḥ

Translation

Sañjaya said: O King, in the thick of battle Karṇa checked him, swiftly turning him back with a shower of fast-flying arrows—an act that underscores the relentless, skill-driven contest of warriors where resolve is tested through restraint and force rather than words.

Word by Word

• तम्: him
• तम्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• कर्णः: Karna
• कर्णः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: कर्ण
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• संयुगे: in battle
• संयुगे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: संयुग
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

• राजन्: O king
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन्
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• प्रत्यवारयत्: warded off / repelled
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्रति-√वृ (वारयति)
• Form: Imperfect (Lan), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

• आशुगैः: with swift arrows
• आशुगैः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: आशुग
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Karṇa
• Dhṛtarāṣṭra

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the kṣatriya ethic of meeting force with disciplined skill: in war, a warrior’s duty is executed through controlled power (restraint/repulsion) and mastery of weapons, not through hesitation or personal sentiment.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to King Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Karṇa, during the battle, stopped an opposing warrior’s advance by striking him with swift arrows, effectively driving him back.