Shloka 68

Devanagari script

तयो: समभवद्‌ युद्ध कर्णराक्षसयोर्मधे । गर्जतो राजशार्दूल शक्रप्रहादयोरिव

Transliteration

tayoḥ samabhavad yuddhaṁ karṇarākṣasayor madhye | garjato rājaśārdūla śakraprahādayor iva ||

Translation

Sañjaya said: Then, between those two—Karna and the rākṣasa—there arose a fierce battle. Roaring like a tiger among kings, Karna clashed with him as Indra once did with Prahlāda—an encounter marked by thunderous pride and relentless resolve amid the moral darkness of war.

Word by Word

• तयोः: of those two
• तयोः: Adhikarana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: masculine/neuter, genitive, dual

• समभवत्: arose/occurred
• समभवत्: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू
• Form: aorist (luṅ), 3rd, singular

• युद्धम्: battle
• युद्धम्: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: युद्ध
• Form: neuter, nominative, singular

• कर्णराक्षसयोः: of Karna and (the) Rakshasa
• कर्णराक्षसयोः: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: कर्ण-राक्षस
• Form: masculine, genitive, dual

• मध्ये: in the midst/between
• मध्ये: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: मध्य
• Form: neuter, locative, singular

• गर्जतोः: of the two roaring (ones)
• गर्जतोः: Karta
• Type: Participle
• Root: गर्जत्
• Form: masculine, genitive, dual

• राजशार्दूल: O tiger among kings
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजशार्दूल
• Form: masculine, vocative, singular

• शक्रप्रहादयोः: of Shakra and Prahlada
• शक्रप्रहादयोः: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: शक्र-प्रहाद
• Form: masculine, genitive, dual

• इव: like/as if
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इव

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Karna
• Rākṣasa (unnamed)
• Śakra (Indra)
• Prahlāda

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how war magnifies power, pride, and resolve through epic comparison; it implicitly cautions that even great prowess, when set within adharma-driven conflict, becomes a roaring force that deepens destruction rather than restoring moral order.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports that a direct, intense fight breaks out between Karna and a rākṣasa warrior, describing the clash as loud and formidable, likened to the mythic confrontation of Indra (Śakra) with Prahlāda.