Shloka 23

Brahmaṇānāṃ Yācanā—Tīrtha-yātrā-prastāvaḥ

The Brahmanas’ Petition and the Proposal of Pilgrimage

Devanagari script

न स पार्थस्य संग्रामे कलामहति षोडशीम्‌ | यच्चापि ते भयं कर्णान्मनसिस्थमरिंदम

Transliteration

na sa pārthasya saṅgrāme kalāmahati ṣoḍaśīm | yac cāpi te bhayaṃ karṇān manasi-stham ariṃdama ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana said: “In battle he is not even a sixteenth part of Pārtha in greatness. And as for the fear of Karṇa that still lingers in your mind, O subduer of foes—set it aside.”

Word by Word

• na: not
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: tad
• Form: masculine, nominative, singular

• pārthasya: of Pārtha (Arjuna)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pārtha
• Form: masculine, genitive, singular

• saṅgrāme: in battle
• saṅgrāme: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: saṅgrāma
• Form: masculine, locative, singular

• kalām: a fraction/part (a sixteenth part)
• kalām: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: kalā
• Form: feminine, accusative, singular

• ahatī: not reaching, not attaining
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ahatī
• Form: feminine, accusative, singular

• ṣoḍaśīm: the sixteenth part (one-sixteenth)
• ṣoḍaśīm: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: ṣoḍaśī
• Form: feminine, accusative, singular

• yat: which/that (what)
• yat: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: yad
• Form: neuter, nominative, singular

• ca: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca

• api: also/even
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api

• te: of you/your
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: tvad
• Form: genitive, singular

• bhayam: fear
• bhayam: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhaya
• Form: neuter, nominative, singular

• karṇāt: from Karṇa
• karṇāt: Apadana
• Type: Noun
• Root: karṇa
• Form: masculine, ablative, singular

• manasi-stham: situated in the mind, mental
• Type: Adjective
• Root: manasi-stha
• Form: neuter, nominative, singular

• ariṃ-dama: O subduer of foes
• Type: Noun
• Root: ariṃdama
• Form: masculine, vocative, singular

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• Pārtha (Arjuna)
• Karṇa

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse urges freedom from paralyzing fear by grounding one’s judgment in a realistic appraisal of strength and merit: do not magnify an opponent in the mind beyond what is warranted.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana reassures his listener that the person being discussed is vastly inferior to Arjuna in battle—“not even a sixteenth part”—and counsels that the lingering fear of Karṇa should be dismissed.