Shloka 9

Devanagari script

कर्णश्न समरे राजन व्यद्रावयत पार्थिवान्‌ | धृष्टद्युम्नशिखण्ड्यादीन्‌ पञज्चालानां महारथान्‌,नरेश्वर! कर्णने भी रणभूमिमें धृष्टद्यम्म और शिखण्डी आदि पांचाल महारथी नरेशोंको दूर भगा दिया

Transliteration

sañjaya uvāca | karṇaḥ samare rājan vyadrāvayat pārthivān | dhṛṣṭadyumnaśikhaṇḍyādīn pāñcālānāṁ mahārathān nareśvara |

Translation

Sañjaya said: O king, in the midst of battle Karṇa put the kings to flight. He drove away the great chariot-warriors of the Pāñcālas—Dhṛṣṭadyumna, Śikhaṇḍī, and others—O lord of men. The verse underscores the relentless momentum of war, where prowess and strategy can scatter even renowned champions, intensifying the moral weight of the conflict’s escalating violence.

Word by Word

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

• समरे: in battle
• समरे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: समर
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

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

• व्यद्रावयत्: drove away / routed
• Type: Verb
• Root: द्रु
• Form: Imperfect (Laṅ), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada, Causative (ṇic) of √द्रु with prefix वि-

• पार्थिवान्: kings
• पार्थिवान्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: पार्थिव
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• धृष्टद्युम्न: Dhrishtadyumna
• धृष्टद्युम्न: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: धृष्टद्युम्न
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• शिखण्डि: Shikhandin
• शिखण्डि: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिखण्डि
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• आदीन्: and others (beginning with)
• आदीन्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आदि
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• पाञ्चालानाम्: of the Panchalas
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाञ्चाल
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Plural

• महारथान्: great chariot-warriors
• महारथान्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: महारथ
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• नरेश्वर: O lord of men (king)
• नरेश्वर: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: नरेश्वर
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Dhṛtarāṣṭra
• Karna
• Dhṛṣṭadyumna
• Śikhaṇḍī
• Pāñcālas
• battlefield (raṇabhūmi)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how quickly fortune shifts in war: even famed mahārathas can be scattered when confronted by superior force and momentum. Ethically, it intensifies the tragedy of the Kurukṣetra conflict—heroic skill becomes an instrument that multiplies suffering, reminding the listener that victory in war often comes at grave human cost.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Karṇa, fighting fiercely, routed the opposing kings and specifically drove back the Pāñcāla champions led by Dhṛṣṭadyumna and Śikhaṇḍī, pushing them away from the battlefield front.