Shloka 9

अध्याय २९: कर्णस्य शल्यं प्रति शापस्मरणं च युद्धनिश्चयः | Chapter 29: Karṇa recalls curses to Śalya and declares resolve for battle

Devanagari script

सुरपतिसमविक्रमस्तत- स्त्रिदशवरावरजोपमं युधि । दिनकरकिरणप्रभै: पृषत्कै रवितनयो< भ्यहनच्छिनिप्रवीरम्‌

Transliteration

surapati-samavikramas tataḥ tridāśa-vara-avarajopamaṃ yudhi | dinakara-kiraṇa-prabhaiḥ pṛṣatkaiḥ ravitanayo 'bhyahanac chinipravīram ||

Translation

Sañjaya berkata: Pada ketika itu Karṇa, putera Surya, yang kegagahannya setara Indra, memanah dalam pertempuran wira terunggul keturunan Śini—Sātyaki—yang bagaikan Upendra (Viṣṇu), adinda kepada raja para dewa; lalu melukainya dengan anak panah yang menyala seperti sinar matahari. Rangkap ini menegaskan peningkatan daya tempur yang tidak mengenal belas: bahkan juara termasyhur pun tidak terlepas daripada luka di bawah etika kewajipan medan perang.

Word by Word

• {'surapati': 'lord of the gods

• Indra', 'samavikrama': 'of equal valor/prowess', 'tataḥ': 'then

• thereafter', 'tridāśa': 'the thirty (gods)

• celestial beings', 'vara': 'excellent

• best', 'avaraja': 'younger brother', 'upama': 'comparable to

• like', 'yudhi': 'in battle', 'dinakara': 'maker of the day

• the Sun', 'kiraṇa': 'ray', 'prabhā': 'splendor

• radiance', 'pṛṣatka': 'arrow', 'ravitanaya': 'son of the Sun

• Karṇa', 'abhyahanat': 'struck

• wounded', 'śini-pravīra': 'foremost hero of the Śini clan (Sātyaki)'}

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Karṇa
• Indra (Surapati)
• Upendra (Viṣṇu)
• Sātyaki
• Śini clan
• arrows (pṛṣatkāḥ)
• sun rays (dinakara-kiraṇāḥ)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the stern reality of kṣatriya-dharma in war: even celebrated warriors must endure harm as combat intensifies. It also uses elevated similes (Indra/Upendra; sun-rays) to frame martial prowess as both awe-inspiring and morally weighty, reminding the listener that glory in battle is inseparable from suffering and consequence.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports that Karṇa, likened to Indra in valor, strikes and wounds Sātyaki—chief hero of the Śini lineage—who is compared to Upendra (Viṣṇu). Karṇa’s arrows are described as radiant like the sun’s rays, emphasizing the force and brilliance of the attack.