Shloka 396

Devanagari script

रणे छेत्स्यामि गात्राणि राधेयस्य दुरात्मन: । “श्रीकृष्ण! आज तीखे विपाठों और क्षुरोंसे रणभूमिमें दुरात्मा राधापुत्रके अंगोंको काट डालूँगा

Transliteration

raṇe chetsyāmi gātrāṇi rādheyasya durātmanaḥ |

Translation

Sañjaya said: “On the battlefield I shall sever the limbs of Radheya, that wicked-souled one.” The line conveys the hardening of resolve in war, where righteous anger and personal enmity are voiced in violent intent, highlighting the Mahābhārata’s ethical tension between duty in battle and the corrosive pull of hatred.

Word by Word

• रणे: in battle
• रणे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: रण
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• छेत्स्यामि: I shall cut
• छेत्स्यामि: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: छिद्
• Form: Simple Future (Luṭ), First, Singular, Parasmaipada

• गात्राणि: limbs
• गात्राणि: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: गात्र
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Plural

• राधेयस्य: of Rādheya (Karna)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राधेय
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• दुरात्मनः: of the evil-souled (one)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दुरात्मन्
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Rādheya (Karna)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse foregrounds the moral strain of war: even when battle is framed as duty, the language of hatred (“wicked-souled”) and the desire to mutilate reveal how easily dharma can be eclipsed by vengeance and dehumanization of the opponent.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports a warrior’s fierce vow in the midst of combat: the speaker declares an intention to cut down Karna (Radheya) on the battlefield, intensifying the atmosphere of lethal resolve in the Karṇa Parva war episodes.