Shloka 58

Devanagari script

इत्येवमुक्त्वार्जुन एकवीर: क्षिप्रं रिपुघ्न: क्षतजोपमाक्ष: । भीम॑ मुमुक्षु: समरे प्रयातः कर्णस्य कायाच्च शिरो जिहीर्षु:,भगवानसे ऐसा कहकर अद्वितीय वीर शत्रुसूदन अर्जुन क्रोधसे लाल आँखें किये समरभूमिमें भीमसेनको संकटसे छुड़ाने और कर्णके मस्तकको धड़से अलग करनेके लिये शीघ्रतापूर्वक वहाँसे चल दिये

Transliteration

sañjaya uvāca | ityevam uktvārjuna ekavīraḥ kṣipraṁ ripughnaḥ kṣatajopamākṣaḥ | bhīmaṁ mumukṣuḥ samare prayātaḥ karṇasya kāyāc ca śiro jihīrṣuḥ ||

Translation

サンジャヤは言った。かく語り終えるや、アルジュナ—比類なき勇士、迅速に事を運ぶ敵殺し、怒りにより血のごとく眼を赤くした者—はただちに戦場へ向かった。彼はビーマを危難から救い出し、カルナの首を胴から断ち切らんと固く決していた。

Word by Word

इतिthus

एवम्in this manner

उक्त्वाhaving said

अर्जुनःArjuna

एकवीरःthe unique/peerless hero

क्षिप्रम्quickly

रिपुघ्नःslayer of enemies

क्षतजोपमाक्षःwhose eyes were like blood (reddened)

भीमम्Bhima

मुमुक्षुःwishing to free (to rescue)

समरेin battle

प्रयातःwent forth / set out

कर्णस्यof Karna

कायात्from the body

चand

शिरःhead

जिहीर्षुःwishing to take away (to sever/remove)

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Arjuna

Bhīma

Karṇa

samara (battlefield)

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 kṣatriya-dharma in its stark form: swift action to protect one’s comrade and to neutralize a dangerous opponent. It also shows how intense emotion (wrath) can accompany duty in war, creating an ethical tension between righteous purpose (rescue) and violent means (beheading).

What is happening in the narrative?

After making a declaration (in the preceding context), Arjuna immediately advances into the battle. His stated aims are twofold: to free Bhīma from danger and to kill Karṇa decisively by severing his head.