Mahabharata 7.185.3 — Drona Parva, Adhyaya 185, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

सा किमर्थ तु कर्णेन प्रवृत्ते समरे पुरा । न देवकीसुते मुक्ता फाल्गुने वापि संजय

Transliteration

sā kimarthaṁ tu karṇena pravṛtte samare purā | na devakīsute muktā phālgune vāpi saṁjaya ||

Translation

സഞ്ജയാ! എന്നാൽ എന്തുകൊണ്ടാണ്, കർണ്ണൻ യുദ്ധത്തിൽ പ്രവേശിച്ചിട്ടും, മുമ്പേ ആ ശക്തി ദേവകീസുതനോടോ (കൃഷ്ണനോടോ) ഫാൽഗുനനോടോ (അർജുനനോടോ) പ്രയോഗിക്കാതിരുന്നത്?

Word by Word

• सा: she
• सा: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• किमर्थम्: for what reason?, why?
• किमर्थम्: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: किम् + अर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)

• तु: but, indeed
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु

• कर्णेन: by Karna
• कर्णेन: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: कर्ण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Singular

• प्रवृत्ते: when (he/it) had engaged/started
• प्रवृत्ते: Adhikarana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रवृत्त (कृदन्त; √वृत्/√वृत्त् with प्र-; past passive participle)
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Locative, Singular

• समरे: in battle
• समरे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: समर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

• पुरा: formerly, earlier
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुरा

• न: not
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न

• देवकीसुते: in/at the son of Devaki (Krishna)
• देवकीसुते: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवकीसुत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

• मुक्ता: was released/shot
• Type: Verb
• Root: मुक्त (कृदन्त; √मुच्; past passive participle)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• फाल्गुने: in/at Phalguna (Arjuna)
• फाल्गुने: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: फाल्गुन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

• वा: or
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा

• अपि: also, even
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि

• संजय: O Sanjaya
• Type: Noun
• Root: संजय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

Speaker

धृतराष्ट उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Dhṛtarāṣṭra
• Sañjaya
• Karṇa
• Devakī’s son (Kṛṣṇa)
• Phālguna (Arjuna)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights moral and strategic accountability in war: Dhṛtarāṣṭra presses for reasons behind a crucial restraint or omission—why a certain action (her being ‘released’) was not carried out earlier even when key warriors were engaged—implying that timing, intention, and responsibility matter in dharmic evaluation of conduct.

What is happening in the narrative?

Dhṛtarāṣṭra questions Sañjaya about a prior moment in the conflict: once Karṇa had entered the fighting, why was ‘she’ not released earlier—neither in relation to Kṛṣṇa (Devakī’s son) nor to Arjuna (Phālguna). The king seeks clarification of motives and circumstances surrounding that decision.