Shloka 6

भीष्मपातने कर्णविलापः | Karṇa’s Lament upon Seeing Bhīṣma Fallen

Devanagari script

मोहन सर्वसैन्यस्य युधि भीष्मस्य पातनम्‌ । ककुदं सर्वसैन्यानां लक्ष्म सर्वधनुष्मताम्‌

Transliteration

mohana sarvasainyasya yudhi bhīṣmasya pātanam | kakudaṃ sarvasainyānāṃ lakṣma sarvadhanuṣmatām

Translation

ଯୁଦ୍ଧରେ ଭୀଷ୍ମଙ୍କ ପତନ ସମଗ୍ର ସେନାକୁ ମୋହିତ କରିଦେଲା; ସେ ସମସ୍ତ ସେନାର କକୁଦ (ଶିଖର) ଏବଂ ସମସ୍ତ ଧନୁର୍ଧରଙ୍କ ଲକ୍ଷ୍ମୀ (ଗୌରବ-ଶୋଭା) ଥିଲେ—ତାଙ୍କ ପତନ କେବଳ କୌଶଳଗତ ପରାଜୟ ନୁହେଁ, ଯୁଦ୍ଧର ନୀତିକ-ମାନସିକ ଶୃଙ୍ଖଳାରେ ଏକ ଭଙ୍ଗ।

Word by Word

मोहनम्bewilderment, delusion

सर्वसैन्यस्यof the entire army

युधिin battle

भीष्मस्यof Bhishma

पातनम्the causing to fall; the felling

ककुदम्the summit; the chief, the crest

सर्वसैन्यानाम्of all the armies

लक्ष्मmark, sign, distinguishing feature

सर्वधनुष्मताम्of all the bowmen

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Bhīṣma

army (sainya)

battle (yuddha)

bowmen/archers (dhanuṣmat)

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 how the fall of a single dharmic, exemplary leader can shatter collective morale and identity: strength in war is not only numbers and weapons, but also the ethical-symbolic authority embodied by figures like Bhīṣma.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes the battlefield impact of Bhīṣma’s fall: he had been the army’s foremost support and the defining glory of the archers; his collapse is portrayed as the loss of the host’s ‘crest’ and its distinguishing mark.