Shloka 66

अजिशीर्षे प्रातःसंध्यायां संग्रामवर्णनम् / Dawn-Transition Battle at Ajiśīrṣa

Chapter 161

Devanagari script

राधेयं निर्जितं दृष्टवा तावका भरतर्षभ

Transliteration

rādheyaṁ nirjitaṁ dṛṣṭvā tāvakā bharatarṣabha

Translation

Sañjaya berkata: “Wahai lembu jantan di antara kaum Bharata, melihat Rādheya (Karṇa) ditewaskan, para pahlawanmu pun gementar—suatu pertanda buruk dalam imbangan moral dan strategi pertempuran.”

Word by Word

• राधेयम्: Radheya (Karna)
• राधेयम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: राधेय
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• निर्जितम्: conquered/defeated
• निर्जितम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निर्जित
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश्
• Form: Absolutive (Gerund)

• तावकाः: your men/your side (Kauravas)
• तावकाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: तावक
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• भरतर्षभ: O bull among the Bharatas
• Type: Noun
• Root: भरतर्षभ
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Rādheya (Karṇa)
• Dhṛtarāṣṭra (implied by address: bharatarṣabha)
• Kauravas (tāvakāḥ)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how the fall of a principal champion affects collective resolve: in dharma-yuddha narratives, victory and defeat are not merely tactical events but moral-psychological shocks that test steadiness, duty, and discernment amid calamity.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Rādheya (Karṇa) has been seen defeated, and that this sight impacts the Kaurava side (“your men”), signaling a critical shift in the battle’s momentum.