Shloka 23

Chapter 136: Pandava Counter-Encirclement and the Vāyavya-Astra Disruption

Devanagari script

दृष्टवा कर्णोडश्रुपूर्णाक्षो मुहूर्त नाभ्यवर्तत । त॑ गतासुमतिक्रम्य कृत्वा कर्ण: प्रदक्षिणम्‌

Transliteration

dṛṣṭvā karṇo 'śrupūrṇākṣo muhūrtaṁ nābhyavartata | taṁ gatāsum atikramya kṛtvā karṇaḥ pradakṣiṇam ||

Translation

ତାକୁ ଦେଖି କର୍ଣ୍ଣଙ୍କ ଚକ୍ଷୁ ଅଶ୍ରୁପୂର୍ଣ୍ଣ ହେଲା; କିଛିକ୍ଷଣ ସେ କିଛି କରିପାରିଲେ ନାହିଁ। ପରେ ଯାହାର ପ୍ରାଣ ଚାଲିଗଲା, ତାକୁ ଅତିକ୍ରମ କରି କର୍ଣ୍ଣ ତାହାର ପ୍ରଦକ୍ଷିଣା କଲେ।

Word by Word

दृष्ट्वाhaving seen

कर्णःKarna

अश्रु-पूर्ण-अक्षःwhose eyes were full of tears

मुहूर्तम्for a moment

नnot

अभ्यवर्ततturned back / returned

ततःthen / thereafter

गत-असुम्one whose life had departed (dead)

अतिक्रम्यhaving passed beyond / having stepped over

कृत्वाhaving done / having made

कर्णम्Karna (as object of circumambulation)

प्रदक्षिणम्circumambulation (keeping to the right)

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Karna

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Even in warfare, the epic preserves a moral texture: grief and reverence are not erased by duty. Karṇa’s pradakṣiṇā signals acknowledgment of the fallen—an ethical restraint and a ritualized honor that coexists with kṣatriya obligation.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes Karṇa encountering a slain figure. Karṇa is momentarily overcome—his eyes brimming with tears—then he moves past the corpse and performs a respectful circumambulation before continuing, indicating a solemn response rather than triumph.