Shloka 303

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

Devanagari script

तामापतन्तीं चिच्छेद शकुनिस्तैलपायिना । दुर्धष वीर वृकोदरने उस युद्धस्थलमें कर्णपर ही वह शक्ति चला दी; परंतु शकुनिने कर्णपर आती हुई शक्तिको तेल पीनेवाले बाणसे काट डाला

Transliteration

tām āpatantīṁ ciccheda śakunis tailapāyinā | durdharṣa vīra vṛkodarena yuddhasthale karṇaparaiva sā śaktiḥ prahitā; parantu śakunir karṇaparam āpatantīṁ śaktiṁ tailapāyibāṇena ciccheda |

Translation

Sañjaya said: As that weapon came hurtling forward, Śakuni cut it down with an arrow called ‘Tailapāyin’ (the oil-drinker). In the thick of battle, the hard-to-resist hero Vṛkodara had launched that śakti straight at Karṇa; yet Śakuni, with quick and calculating intervention, severed the incoming śakti before it could strike. The episode underscores how, in war, prowess is repeatedly checked by stratagem and timely support—raising the ethical tension between direct valor and protective, even opportunistic, tactics.

Word by Word

• ताम्: that (her/it) (i.e., the शक्ति)
• ताम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्री, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• आपतन्तीम्: falling/coming down (towards)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आपत् (धातु) → आपतन्ती (वर्तमान-कृदन्त, शतृ)
• Form: स्त्री, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• चिच्छेद: cut (asunder)
• Type: Verb
• Root: छिद् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्शभूत/परफेक्ट), प्रथम, एकवचन

• शकुनिः: Shakuni
• शकुनिः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: शकुनि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• तैलपायिना: with the oil-drinking (arrow)
• तैलपायिना: Karana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तैलपायिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं, तृतीया, एकवचन

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Śakuni
• Vṛkodara (Bhīma)
• Karṇa
• śakti (weapon/missile)
• Tailapāyin (arrow)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights a recurring Mahābhārata tension: battlefield outcomes depend not only on personal valor but also on vigilant allies and tactical intervention. Ethically, it invites reflection on whether ‘fair’ direct combat can survive in total war, where protecting one’s side through stratagem becomes normalized.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhīma (Vṛkodara) hurls a powerful śakti weapon aimed at Karṇa. As it rushes toward its target, Śakuni intercepts and cuts it down using a special arrow called Tailapāyin, preventing the śakti from striking Karṇa.