Shloka 216

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

Devanagari script

चेलापहारं कुर्वाणास्ताडयिष्याम भूयस: । 'मार्गमें तक्रके साथ पूए और सत्तूके पिण्ड खाकर अत्यन्त प्रबल हो कब चलते हुए बहुत-से राहगीरोंको उनके कपड़े छीनकर हम अच्छी तरह पीटेंगे”

Transliteration

celāpahāraṃ kurvāṇās tāḍayiṣyāma bhūyaḥ |

Translation

Karna said: “Again and again, while we are engaged in stripping travellers of their garments, we shall beat them soundly.” The utterance reflects a deliberate embrace of lawless conduct—predation on the road and violence for gain—standing in sharp contrast to dharma and the duties expected of warriors and nobles.

Word by Word

• चेलापहारम्: the taking away of clothes
• चेलापहारम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: चेलापहार
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• कुर्वाणाः: doing, performing
• कुर्वाणाः: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ
• Form: शतृ (present active participle), Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• ताडयिष्यामः: we shall beat/strike
• ताडयिष्यामः: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: ताड्
• Form: Simple Future (लृट्), First, Plural, Parasmaipada

• भूयः: again; moreover; greatly
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: भूयस्

Speaker

कर्ण उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Karna
• garments/clothes (cela)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The line illustrates adharma: choosing exploitation and violence as a repeated practice. It serves as a negative ethical example—power used for predation rather than protection undermines social order and personal righteousness.

What is happening in the narrative?

Karna speaks of repeatedly robbing passers-by of their clothes and beating them. The statement conveys an intention toward coercive, criminal behavior rather than lawful conduct.