Karna Parva Adhyaya 89 Shloka 19 - Mahabharata | Kannada | Vedapath

Vyasa

Shloka 19

Devanagari script

इससे वहाँ समस्त योद्धाओंके वस्त्र जलने लगे। कपड़े जल जानेसे वे सब-के-सब वहाँसे भाग चले। जैसे जंगलके बीच बाँसके वनमें आग लगनेपर जोर-जोरसे चटकनेकी आवाज होती है, उसी प्रकार आगकी लपटमें झुलसते हुए सैनिकोंका अत्यन्त भयंकर आर्तनाद होने लगा ।।

Transliteration

tad vīkṣya karṇo jvalanāstram udyataṃ sa vāruṇaṃ tatpraśamārtham āhave | samutsṛjan sūtasutaḥ pratāpavān sa tena valliṃ śamayāmbabhūva ||

Translation

ಸಂಜಯನು ಹೇಳಿದನು—ಆ ಜ್ವಲನಾಸ್ತ್ರವು ಉದ್ದೀಪ್ತವಾಗಿ ಏಳುವುದನ್ನು ಕಂಡ ಪ್ರತಾಪವಂತನಾದ ಸೂತಪುತ್ರ ಕರ್ಣನು, ಯುದ್ಧದಲ್ಲಿ ಅದನ್ನು ಶಮನಗೊಳಿಸಲು ವಾರుణಾಸ್ತ್ರವನ್ನು ಬಿಡಿಸಿದನು; ಆ ಪ್ರತಿಯಸ್ತ್ರದಿಂದ ಅವನು ಆ ಅಗ್ನಿಯನ್ನು ನಂದಿಸಿದನು.

Word by Word

तत्that (thing/event)

वीक्ष्यhaving seen

कर्णःKarna

ज्वलन-अस्त्रम्the fire-weapon

उद्यतम्raised/ready (to be discharged)

सःhe

वारुणम्the Varuna (water) weapon

तत्that (weapon/it)

प्रशम-अर्थम्for the purpose of quelling

आहवेin battle

समुत्सृजन्discharging/letting loose

सूत-सुतःthe charioteer’s son (Karna)

प्रतापवान्mighty/valorous

सःhe

तेनwith that (weapon)

वल्लीम्the flame/blaze (lit. creeper; here: tongue/line of fire)

शमयाम्he quenched/caused to subside

बभूवbecame/was (i.e., succeeded in being)

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Karna

Jvalanāstra (fire-weapon)

Vāruṇāstra (Varuṇa’s weapon)

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?

Even amid warfare’s brutality, power is ideally governed by knowledge and restraint: destructive force should be checked and neutralized when possible, limiting wider harm.

What is happening in the narrative?

A fire-weapon causes panic and burning among the troops; Karna responds by releasing the Vāruṇa weapon, which pacifies and extinguishes the spreading blaze.