Shloka 33

Devanagari script

अद्य कर्ण हते कृष्ण धार्तराष्ट्र: सराजका:

Transliteration

adya karṇa hate kṛṣṇa dhārtarāṣṭraḥ sa-rājakāḥ

Translation

Sañjaya said: “O Kṛṣṇa, today, with Karṇa slain, the sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra—together with their kings—[stand broken in spirit and power].” The line signals a decisive moral and strategic turning point: the fall of Karṇa, the chief pillar of the Kaurava cause, foreshadows the collapse of an unrighteous war effort sustained by pride, rivalry, and dependence on a single champion.

Word by Word

अद्यtoday/now

कर्णेwhen/with respect to Karna (in Karna)

हतेslain (when slain)

कृष्णO Krishna

धार्तराष्ट्राःthe sons of Dhritarashtra (Kauravas)

सराजकाःtogether with their king(s)

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Kṛṣṇa

Karṇa

Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s sons (Kauravas)

Kings (allied rulers)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores how a cause rooted in adharma becomes fragile: when its main support (Karṇa) falls, the wider coalition (Dhārtarāṣṭras with allied kings) loses coherence. Ethically, it hints that power built on pride and injustice cannot endure, especially when sustained by dependence on a single heroic pillar rather than righteous conduct.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to Kṛṣṇa that Karṇa has been killed. This announcement marks a decisive shift in the war: the Kaurava side, along with its allied kings, is effectively destabilized, and the end of their resistance is imminent.