Shloka 473
अभाग्यस्येव संकल्पस्तन्मोघमपतद् भुवि । परंतु अत्यन्त वेगसे फेंका गया वह घूमता हुआ चक्र कर्णके बाणोंद्वारा आहत हो भाग्यहीनके संकल्पकी भाँति व्यर्थ होकर पृथ्वीपर गिर पड़ा
abhāgyasyeva saṅkalpas tanmogham apatat bhuvi | parantu atyanta-vegena pheṅkā gayaḥ sa ghoṣṭamānaḥ cakraḥ karṇasya bāṇair āhataḥ bhāgyahīnasya saṅkalpavat vyarthaḥ bhūmau nipapāta ||
Sañjaya said: Like the resolve of an unfortunate man, it came to nothing and fell to the ground. Though that discus had been hurled with tremendous force and was spinning as it flew, it was struck by Karṇa’s arrows and, becoming futile like a luckless intention, dropped upon the earth. The image underscores how sheer power, when checked by a stronger counter-force in battle, can render even a fierce effort fruitless.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse uses a moral simile: even a forceful undertaking can become futile—like the resolve of an ill-fated person—when opposed by superior skill or circumstance. It highlights the limits of mere momentum and the role of countervailing power (and implied fate) in determining outcomes.
A spinning discus hurled with great speed is intercepted in mid-course by Karṇa’s arrows. Struck and neutralized, it loses its effectiveness and falls to the ground, illustrating Karṇa’s battlefield mastery.