Shloka 18

कर्णपर्व — अध्याय ५९

Arjuna Breaks the Encirclement; Bhīma Reinforces

Devanagari script

कर्णेन चाभियुक्तो5यं भूपति: शत्रुतापन: । संशयं समनुप्राप्त: पाण्डवो वै युधिष्िर:,'शत्रुओंको तपानेवाले ये पाण्डुपुत्र राजा युधिष्ठिर कर्णके साथ युद्ध करके प्राणसंकटकी अवस्थामें पहुँच गये हैं

Transliteration

karṇena cābhiyukto ’yaṃ bhūpatiḥ śatrutāpanaḥ | saṃśayaṃ samanuprāptaḥ pāṇḍavo vai yudhiṣṭhiraḥ ||

Translation

サञ्जयは語った。敵を灼く王、パーンダヴァのユディシュティラは、カルナに激しく攻め立てられ、危地と迷いの境へ追い込まれた。戦の賭け金—義と命—が、彼の周囲でいよいよ迫り来るのである。

Word by Word

कर्णेनby Karna

चand

अभियुक्तःattacked/engaged (in combat)

अयम्this (man)

भूपतिःking

शत्रुतापनःscorcher of enemies

संशयम्doubt/peril

समनुप्राप्तःhaving reached/come to

पाण्डवःthe Pandava (son of Pandu)

वैindeed

युधिष्ठिरःYudhishthira

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Karṇa

Yudhiṣṭhira

Pāṇḍava

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how even a righteous king can be forced into doubt and peril under intense aggression, underscoring the ethical weight of leadership in war: courage and duty must be upheld even when outcomes become uncertain.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Karṇa has launched a fierce assault on King Yudhiṣṭhira, pushing him into a critical, life-threatening predicament and mental uncertainty amid the battle.