Shloka 84

Devanagari script

नरेन्द्र! श्रेष्ठ ब्राह्मणके शापसे उस समय उसका रथ डगमगाने लगा और उसका पहिया पृथ्वीमें धँस गया। यह देख सूतपुत्र कर्ण समरांगणमें व्याकुल हो उठा ।। सवेदिकश्ैैत्य इवातिमात्र: सुपुष्पितो भूमितले निमग्न:ः । घूर्णे रथे ब्राह्मणस्याभिशापाद्‌ रामादुपात्ते त्वविभाति चास्त्रे,जैसे सुन्दर पुष्पोंसे युक्त विशाल चैत्यवक्ष वेदीसहित पृथ्वीमें धँस जाय, वही दशा उस रथकी भी हुई। ब्राह्मणके शापसे जब रथ डगमग करने लगा, परशुरामजीसे प्राप्त हुआ अस्त्र भूल गया और घोर सर्पमुख बाण अर्जुनके द्वारा काट डाला गया, तब उस अवस्थामें उन संकटोंको सहन न कर सकनेके कारण कर्ण खिन्न हो उठा और दोनों हाथ हिला- हिलाकर धर्मकी निन्‍्दा करने लगा

Transliteration

sañjaya uvāca |

narendra! śreṣṭha-brāhmaṇa-śāpena tasmin samaye tasya ratho ḍagamagāya, tasya cakraṃ ca pṛthivyāṃ nimagnaṃ babhūva | etad dṛṣṭvā sūtaputraḥ karṇaḥ samarāṅgaṇe vyākulo ’bhavat ||

sa-vedikaś-caitya iva atimātraḥ supuṣpito bhūmitalе nimagnaḥ | ghūrṇe rathe brāhmaṇasyābhiśāpād rāmad upāttaṃ tv avibhāti cāstre ||

Translation

សញ្ជ័យបាននិយាយថា៖ ព្រះមហាក្សត្រា ដោយសារព្រះបណ្តាសារបស់ព្រះព្រាហ្មណ៍ដ៏ឧត្តម នៅពេលនោះរទេះរបស់កರ್ಣបានរអិលរង្គើ ហើយកង់រទេះបានលិចចូលក្នុងដី។ ឃើញដូច្នេះ កូនអ្នកបើករទេះ—កರ್ಣ—ក៏កើតទុក្ខព្រួយនៅលើសមរភូមិ។ វាហាក់ដូចជាស្ថានបូជាធំមួយ តុបតែងដោយផ្កាស្រស់ស្អាត មានវេទិកាភ្ជាប់ជាមួយ បានលិចចូលក្នុងផែនដី។ ពេលរទេះរង្គើក្រោមព្រះបណ្តាសារបស់ព្រាហ្មណ៍ សូម្បីអាវុធដែលគាត់បានទទួលពីរាមៈ (បរាសុរាម) ក៏មិនភ្លឺរលោងឡើងទេ—ជំនាញបានចាកចេញពីគាត់នៅវេលាសំខាន់—ធ្វើឲ្យគាត់រង្គោះរង្គើក្រោមផលវិបាកនៃកម្មចាស់។

Word by Word

सवेदिकhaving a vedi (altar-platform)

चैत्यःa shrine/monument (caitya)

इवlike/as

अतिमात्रःexcessively large/very great

सुपुष्पितःwell-flowered, richly blossomed

भूमितलेon the ground/on the earth’s surface

निमग्नःsunk, submerged

घूर्णेin the reeling/wobbling (state)

रथेin the chariot

ब्राह्मणस्यof the brahmin

अभिशापात्because of/from the curse

रामात्from Rama (Parashurama)

उपात्तेin/among what was obtained/received

तुbut/indeed

अविभातिdoes not shine/does not appear (clearly)

चand

अस्त्रेin the weapon/weapon-lore (astra)

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Dhṛtarāṣṭra (narendra)

Karna (sūtaputra)

a Brahmin (brāhmaṇa)

Paraśurāma (Rāma)

chariot (ratha)

wheel (cakra)

earth/ground (pṛthivī/bhūmitala)

shrine/caitya with altar (sa-vedika caitya)

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 underscores moral causality: past actions and ethical breaches can return as unavoidable consequences at decisive moments. Even great prowess and divine weapons may fail when one is entangled in adharma or in the results of earlier wrongdoing, symbolized here by the Brahmin’s curse and the sudden collapse of support (the chariot wheel sinking).

What is happening in the narrative?

During the climactic battle, Karna’s chariot begins to wobble and its wheel sinks into the earth due to a Brahmin’s curse. The scene is compared to a massive shrine sinking into the ground. In that crisis, the weapon Karna had learned from Paraśurāma does not manifest effectively, and Karna becomes deeply agitated on the battlefield.