Shloka 176

Devanagari script

गत्वा स्वदेशं द्रक्ष्यामि स्थूलशड्खा: शुभा: स्त्रिय: । “मैं कब सतलज और उस रमणीय रावी नदीको पार करके अपने देशमें पहुँचकर शंखकी बनी हुई मोटी-मोटी चूड़ियोंको धारण करनेवाली वहाँकी सुन्दरी स्त्रियोंको देखूँगा

Transliteration

gatvā svadeśaṃ drakṣyāmi sthūlaśaṅkhāḥ śubhāḥ striyaḥ |

Translation

Karna said: “When, having crossed back into my own land, shall I behold the auspicious women there, adorned with thick bangles made of conch?” In the midst of war, his words reveal a longing for home and ordinary, dharmic domestic life—an ethical counterpoint to the violence that surrounds him.

Word by Word

• गत्वा: having gone
• गत्वा: Adhikarana
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा (absolutive/gerund), कर्तरि

• स्वदेशम्: to (my) own country
• स्वदेशम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्वदेश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• द्रक्ष्यामि: I shall see
• द्रक्ष्यामि: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: Future (लृट्), First, Singular, Parasmaipada

• स्थूलशङ्खाः: having thick conch(-shell bangles)
• स्थूलशङ्खाः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्थूलशङ्ख (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Plural

• शुभाः: auspicious/beautiful
• शुभाः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शुभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Plural

• स्त्रियः: women
• स्त्रियः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्त्री (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Plural

Speaker

कर्ण उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Karna
• svadeśa (one’s homeland)
• śaṅkha (conch-shell bangles)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Even a warrior famed for harsh choices can feel the pull of ordinary, auspicious life; the verse highlights the human cost of war and the ethical contrast between domestic dharma (home, family, auspiciousness) and battlefield violence.

What is happening in the narrative?

Karna speaks amid the events of the Karna Parva, expressing a wistful desire to return to his own land and see its women adorned with conch bangles—an image of peace and normalcy set against the ongoing conflict.