Shloka 35

Adhyāya 40 (Book 7, Droṇa-parva): Abhimanyu’s Rapid Advance and Battlefield Disruption

Devanagari script

ततो मुहूर्तात्‌ कर्णस्य बाणेनैकेन वीर्यवान्‌

Transliteration

tato muhūrtāt karṇasya bāṇenaikena vīryavān

Translation

Sañjaya said: Then, within a brief moment, the valiant one was struck down by a single arrow of Karṇa—an image of how, in the brutal economy of war, prowess and fate can turn on an instant, and a lone missile can decide what armies could not.

Word by Word

• ततः: then, thereafter
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तद्
• Form: Avyaya (ablatival adverb: 'from that/thereafter')

• मुहूर्तात्: from/after a moment
• मुहूर्तात्: Apadana
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुहूर्त
• Form: Masculine, Ablative, Singular

• कर्णस्य: of Karna
• Type: Noun
• Root: कर्ण
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• बाणेन: with an arrow
• बाणेन: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: बाण
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Singular

• एकेन: with a single (one)
• एकेन: Karana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एक
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Singular (agreeing with बाणेन)

• वीर्यवान्: the mighty/valorous one
• वीर्यवान्: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वीर्यवत्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Karṇa
• bāṇa (arrow)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The line underscores the fragility of embodied life in war: even the mighty can fall in a moment. Ethically, it highlights the grave weight of martial action—skill and valor operate within a field where consequences are immediate and irreversible.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports that, after a short interval, a valiant warrior is brought down by Karṇa with a single arrow, emphasizing Karṇa’s lethal effectiveness and the swift reversals typical of the Kurukṣetra battle.