Shloka 30

अमोघशक्तिव्यंसनप्रश्नः — Why Karṇa’s Śakti Was Not Used on Arjuna

Devanagari script

कणयिव च दुर्धर्षश्रिक्षेपाजौ वृकोदर:

Transliteration

kaṇayiva ca durdharṣaśrikṣepājau vṛkodaraḥ

Translation

Sañjaya said: And then Vṛkodara (Bhīma), in the thick of battle, became like a blazing fire—irresistible and impossible to withstand—hurling his weapons with fierce splendor, embodying the terrible momentum of righteous wrath on the battlefield.

Word by Word

• कणयिव: as if / like (reading uncertain)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कणयिव (पाठभेद/अस्पष्ट)
• Form: अव्ययम्

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च
• Form: अव्ययम्

• दुर्धर्ष-श्री-क्षेपाजौ: in the battle/arena of irresistible splendor and casting/throwing (i.e., fierce combat)
• दुर्धर्ष-श्री-क्षेपाजौ: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: दुर्धर्ष + श्री + क्षेप + अज (प्रातिपदिकानि)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः, सप्तमी, एकवचनम्

• वृकोदरः: Vṛkodara (Bhīma)
• वृकोदरः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: वृकोदर (प्रातिपदिकम्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• संजय (Sañjaya)
• वृकोदर / भीम (Vṛkodara / Bhīma)
• युद्ध / आजि (battle)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the ideal of kṣatriya-dharma in war: when duty demands, a warrior must act with unwavering force and courage. The simile 'like fire' frames Bhīma’s power as decisive and consuming, suggesting that righteous resolve—though fierce—can be ethically situated within one’s ordained duty in a dharmic conflict.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes Bhīma (Vṛkodara) in the midst of battle as irresistible and radiant, hurling weapons with formidable energy. It is a vivid battlefield snapshot emphasizing Bhīma’s overwhelming momentum against his foes during the Drona Parva fighting.