Shloka 16

कर्णनिधनश्रवणम् — Hearing of Karṇa’s Fall and Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Lament

Devanagari script

भगदत्तो महीपाल: क्षत्रधर्मरत: सदा । धनंजयेन विक्रम्य गमितो यमसादनम्‌

Transliteration

Bhagadatto mahīpālaḥ kṣatradharmarataḥ sadā | dhanañjayena vikramya gamito yamasādanam ||

Translation

സഞ്ജയൻ പറഞ്ഞു—ക്ഷത്രിയധർമ്മത്തിൽ സദാ നിരതനായ രാജാവ് ഭഗദത്തൻ ധനഞ്ജയൻ (അർജുനൻ)ന്റെ പരാക്രമത്താൽ കീഴടക്കപ്പെട്ടു യമസദനത്തിലേക്കു പോയി.

Word by Word

भगदत्तःBhagadatta

महीपालःking (protector of the earth)

क्षत्रधर्मरतःdevoted to the Kshatriya duty

सदाalways

धनंजयेनby Dhananjaya (Arjuna)

विक्रम्यhaving overpowered / having attacked valiantly

गमितःwas sent / was made to go

यमसादनम्the abode of Yama (death)

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Bhagadatta

Dhanañjaya (Arjuna)

Yama

Yamasādana (abode of Yama)

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 highlights kṣatriya-dharma: a warrior-king who consistently lives by martial duty meets his destined end in battle. It presents death in righteous combat as the natural culmination of a life committed to the warrior’s code, while also underscoring the decisive power of a superior opponent.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Bhagadatta, a prominent allied king, has been overcome by Arjuna (Dhanañjaya) and killed—described as being sent to Yama’s abode—marking a significant loss for the Kaurava side in the Karṇa Parva battle sequence.