Mahabharata 7.177.52 — Drona Parva, Adhyaya 177, Shloka 52

Devanagari script

ततो मायाविनं कर्णो भीमसेनसुतं दिवि

Transliteration

tato māyāvinaṃ karṇo bhīmasenasutaṃ divi

Translation

സഞ്ജയൻ പറഞ്ഞു—അപ്പോൾ കർണൻ ആകാശത്തിൽ മായാവിദ്യയുള്ള ഭീമസേനപുത്രനെ കണ്ടു.

Word by Word

• ततः: then; thereafter
• ततः: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः
• Form: Avyaya (ablatival adverb: 'from there/then')

• मायाविनम्: the deceitful/illusion-using one
• मायाविनम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मायाविन्
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• कर्णः: Karna
• कर्णः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: कर्ण
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• भीमसेनसुतम्: the son of Bhimasena
• भीमसेनसुतम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: भीमसेन-सुत
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• दिवि: in the sky
• दिवि: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: दिव्
• Form: Feminine, Locative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Karṇa
• Bhīmasena (Bhīma)
• Bhīmasena’s son (Bhīmasenasuta)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The line highlights that in war, outcomes are shaped not only by physical prowess but also by māyā—deception, tactics, and extraordinary means—raising ethical tension between straightforward valor and strategic cunning.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports that Karṇa sees Bhīma’s son, described as māyāvin (illusion-wielding), appearing aloft in the sky—signaling an imminent encounter where unusual powers or deceptive tactics may influence the battle.