Shloka 4

Devanagari script

धृष्टद्युम्नो महाराज सहित: सर्वराजभि: । कर्णमेवाभिदुद्राव पाण्डवा श्व॒ महारथा:,भारत! जहाँ खून पानीके समान बहाया जाता था, उस भयंकर संग्रामके छिड़ जानेपर तथा थोड़े-से ही संशप्तक वीरोंके शेष रह जानेपर समस्त राजाओं-सहित धृष्टद्युम्नने कर्णपर ही आक्रमण किया। महाराज! अन्य पाण्डव महारथियोंने भी उन्हींका साथ दिया

Transliteration

sañjaya uvāca |

dhṛṣṭadyumno mahārāja sahitaḥ sarvarājabhiḥ |

karṇam evābhidudrāva pāṇḍavāś ca mahārathāḥ ||

Translation

Sañjaya said: O King, Dhṛṣṭadyumna, accompanied by all the allied rulers, rushed straight at Karṇa. And the Pāṇḍava great chariot-warriors too advanced in support—at that dreadful moment when the battle had fully flared up, blood was being poured out like water, and only a small remnant of the Saṁśaptaka fighters remained. The verse underscores the grim momentum of war: once slaughter becomes commonplace, leaders concentrate their force upon a pivotal champion, seeking a decisive turn while bearing the moral weight of escalating violence.

Word by Word

• [{'term': 'संजय उवाच (sañjaya uvāca)', 'meaning': 'Sañjaya said (narrator reporting to Dhṛtarāṣṭra)'}, {'term': 'धृष्टद्युम्नः (dhṛṣṭadyumnaḥ)', 'meaning': 'Dhṛṣṭadyumna, commander of the Pāṇḍava army'}, {'term': 'महाराज (mahārāja)', 'meaning': 'O great king (address to Dhṛtarāṣṭra)'}, {'term': 'सहितः (sahitaḥ)', 'meaning': 'accompanied by, together with'}, {'term': 'सर्वराजभिः (sarvarājabhiḥ)', 'meaning': 'with all the kings (allied rulers)'}, {'term': 'कर्णम् एव (karṇam eva)', 'meaning': 'Karṇa alone / specifically Karṇa (as the target)'}, {'term': 'अभिदुद्राव (abhidudrāva)', 'meaning': 'rushed upon, charged at, attacked'}, {'term': 'पाण्डवाः (pāṇḍavāḥ)', 'meaning': 'the Pāṇḍavas (their side/warriors)'}, {'term': 'महारथाः (mahārathāḥ)', 'meaning': 'great chariot-warriors

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Dhṛtarāṣṭra (implied by address mahārāja)
• Dhṛṣṭadyumna
• Karṇa
• Pāṇḍavas
• Saṁśaptakas (from the accompanying Hindi gloss)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how, in the moral darkness of war where bloodshed becomes routine, commanders seek decisive outcomes by concentrating force on a key opponent. It implicitly invites reflection on dharma: strategic necessity may drive action, yet the ethical burden of escalating violence remains.

What is happening in the narrative?

As the battle intensifies and only a few Saṁśaptaka warriors remain, Dhṛṣṭadyumna—supported by allied kings—charges directly at Karṇa. The Pāṇḍava elite chariot-warriors also move in to back him, signaling a focused assault on Karṇa as a pivotal enemy champion.