Shloka 9

कर्णस्य सेनापत्याभिषेकः | Karṇa’s Consecration as Commander-in-Chief

Devanagari script

अशवनुवद्धिर्बीभत्सुमभिमन्युर्निपातित: । जो बाल्यावस्थामें ही दुर्धर्ष वीर था और सव्यसाची अर्जुन

Transliteration

Sañjaya uvāca — aśvān anubaddhair bībhatsum abhimanyur nipātitaḥ | yaḥ bālyāvasthāyām eva durdharṣa-vīra āsīt, sa vyasācī Arjunaḥ Bhagavān Śrī-Kṛṣṇaḥ athavā Baladeva iva manyate sma; yaś ca mahati ratha-yuddhe viśeṣa-kuśalaḥ, sa Abhimanyuḥ śatrūn saṁhṛtya ṣaḍbhiḥ mahā-rathibhiḥ, yeṣām Arjune vaśo na calati, caturdiśaṁ parivārya hataḥ || kṛtaṁ taṁ virathaṁ vīraṁ kṣatra-dharme vyavasthitam ||

Translation

ສັນຊະຍະກ່າວວ່າ: ອະພິມັນຍຸ—ຜູ້ທີ່ນັກຮົບທັງຫຼາຍເທົ່າທຽບກັບ ບີພັດສຸ (ອາຣຊຸນ) ຜູ້ນ່າຢ້ານ, ກັບພຣະສີກຣິດສະນະ ຫຼືແມ່ນກະທັ້ງ ພຣະບະລະເທວ; ຜູ້ທີ່ແມ່ນຍັງໜຸ່ມແຕ່ກໍເປັນວີລະບຸລຸດທີ່ຍາກຈະພິຊິດ ແລະຊໍານານພິເສດໃນການຮົບດ້ວຍລົດຮົບໃຫຍ່—ຫຼັງຈາກຂ້າຟັນສັດຕູຫຼາຍຄົນ ກໍຖືກມະຫາລົດຮົບ 6 ຄົນລ້ອມຮອບທຸກທິດ ແລະຖືກສັງຫານ. ດັ່ງນັ້ນເຂົາຈຶ່ງຖືກເຮັດໃຫ້ກາຍເປັນນັກຮົບທີ່ບໍ່ມີລົດຮົບ ແມ່ນແຕ່ເຂົາຍັງຢືນຢັນໃນທຳຂອງກະສັດນັກຮົບ (ກະສັດຕຣິຍະ).

Word by Word

• अश्वानुवद्धिः: the horse-following (rear-guard/horse-attendant unit)
• अश्वानुवद्धिः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: अश्व-अनुवद्धि
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• बीभत्सुम्: Bhībhatsu (Arjuna)
• बीभत्सुम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: बीभत्सु
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• अभिमन्युः: Abhimanyu
• अभिमन्युः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: अभिमन्यु
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• निपातितः: was struck down / felled
• निपातितः: Karma
• Type: Verb
• Root: नि√पत्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular, Past passive participle (क्त)

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Abhimanyu
• Arjuna (Bībhatsu, Savyasācī)
• Śrī Kṛṣṇa
• Baladeva
• six mahārathas (unnamed here)
• chariot (ratha)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights steadfastness in kṣatriya-dharma—Abhimanyu remains committed to warrior duty even when deprived of his chariot and overwhelmed. Ethically, it also points to the moral weight of collective assault against a single heroic fighter, contrasting personal valor with questionable battlefield conduct.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Abhimanyu, famed as a peer of Arjuna, Kṛṣṇa, or Baladeva in prowess, fought brilliantly, destroyed many foes, but was ultimately encircled and killed by six great chariot-warriors, leaving him ‘viratha’ (chariotless) at the end.