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 disse: Então Karṇa, filho do Sol, cujo valor se igualava ao de Indra, feriu em combate o principal herói da linhagem de Śini—Sātyaki—semelhante a Upendra (Viṣṇu), o irmão mais novo do senhor dos deuses, atingindo-o com flechas que ardiam como os raios do sol. O verso ressalta a escalada implacável da força marcial: mesmo campeões renomados são submetidos ao ferimento sob a ética inflexível do dever no campo de batalha.

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.