Shloka 9

Devanagari script

तददभुतं शैल इवाप्रकम्पो वर्ष महाशैलसमानसार: । विध्वंसयामास रणे नरेन्द्र वैकर्तन: शत्रुगणावमर्दी,नरेन्द्र! महान्‌ पर्वतके समान शक्तिशाली एवं अविचल रहनेवाले शत्रुदलसंहारक सूर्यपुत्र कर्णने रणभूमिमें उस अद्भुत बाणवर्षाको नष्ट कर दिया

Transliteration

tad adbhutaṃ śaila ivāprakampo varṣaṃ mahāśailasamānasāraḥ | vidhvaṃsayāmāsa raṇe narendra vaikartanaḥ śatrugaṇāvamardī ||

Translation

Sañjaya said: O king, then Karṇa—called Vaikartana—unyielding like a mountain and possessing the force of a great peak, the crusher of enemy hosts, shattered in battle that wondrous shower of arrows. The verse highlights the terrifying efficiency of martial power: in the ethical tension of war, prowess becomes the means by which one side nullifies the other’s onslaught, even when the attack appears extraordinary and overwhelming.

Word by Word

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Neuter, Nominative/Accusative, Singular

• अद्भुतम्: marvellous, wondrous
• अद्भुतम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अद्भुत
• Form: Neuter, Nominative/Accusative, Singular

• शैलः: mountain
• शैलः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: शैल
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• इव: like, as
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इव

• अप्रकम्पः: unshaking, unmoved
• अप्रकम्पः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अ-प्रकम्प
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• वर्षम्: shower (of arrows)
• वर्षम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: वर्ष
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• महाशैलसमानसारः: having strength equal to a great mountain
• महाशैलसमानसारः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महाशैल-समान-सार
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• विध्वंसयामास: destroyed, shattered
• Type: Verb
• Root: विध्वंस्
• Form: Periphrastic Perfect (लिट्), Third, Singular

• रणे: in battle
• रणे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: रण
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• नरेन्द्र: O king
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर-इन्द्र
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• वैकर्तनः: Vaikartana (Karna)
• वैकर्तनः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: वैकर्तन
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• शत्रुगणावमर्दी: crusher of hosts of enemies
• शत्रुगणावमर्दी: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शत्रु-गण-अवमर्दिन्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Narendra (Dhṛtarāṣṭra, addressed as king)
• Karṇa (Vaikartana)
• arrow-shower (bāṇavarṣa)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores steadfastness and overwhelming martial capability: in the dharmic crisis of war, resilience (aprakampa) and concentrated force (sāra) can neutralize even an extraordinary assault, illustrating how power and resolve shape outcomes on the battlefield.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to the king that Karṇa, likened to an immovable mountain, destroys a wondrous, intense shower of arrows unleashed in the battle, thereby crushing the enemy’s offensive.