Shloka 13

कर्णपरर्वणि त्रयोचत्वारिंशदध्यायः (Karṇa-parva Adhyāya 43) — Kṛṣṇa’s Battlefield Assessment and the Reversal Around Bhīma

Devanagari script

मत्तावगीतैरविविधै: खरोष्टनिनदोपमै: । अनावृता मैथुने ता: कामचाराश्न सर्वश:,“वे गदहोंके रेंकने और ऊँटोंके बलबलानेकी-सी आवाजसे मतवालेपनमें ही भाँति- भाँतिके गीत गाती हैं और मैथुनकालमें भी परदेके भीतर नहीं रहती हैं। वे सब-की-सब सर्वथा स्वेच्छाचारिणी होती हैं

Transliteration

mattāvagītair avividhaiḥ kharoṣṭa-ninada-upamaiḥ | anāvṛtā maithune tāḥ kāmacārāś ca sarvaśaḥ ||

Translation

Karna said: “In their drunkenness they sing all sorts of songs, their sounds resembling the braying of donkeys and the bellowing of camels. Even at the time of sexual union they remain uncovered, and in every way they act according to their own will.”

Word by Word

मत्ताःintoxicated, maddened

अवगीतैःwith songs/chantings

विविधैःvarious, manifold

खरोष्टनिनदोपमैःcomparable to the braying of donkeys and the bellowing of camels

अनावृताःuncovered, not veiled

मैथुनेin sexual union; at the time of intercourse

ताःthose women; they

कामचाराःacting at will; wanton/free-living

चand

सर्वशःentirely, in every way

Speaker

कर्ण उवाच

Characters & Entities

Karna

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse functions as a moralizing critique: Karna condemns behavior driven by intoxication and unchecked desire, portraying it as shameless and socially degrading. It reflects the epic’s broader concern with self-control (dama), propriety (ācāra), and the ethical consequences of kāma when ungoverned.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Karna Parva, Karna is speaking harshly, using vivid animal-sound comparisons to insult and denounce certain women’s conduct. The line is part of a rhetorical passage where he characterizes them as drunken, loud, immodest, and acting without restraint.