Shloka 29

कर्णभीमयुद्धम्

Karna–Bhīma Combat Report

Devanagari script

शक्ति जग्राह समरे गिरीणामपि दारिणीम्‌ । स्वर्णदण्डां महाघोरामष्टघण्टां भयावहाम्‌

Transliteration

śaktiṁ jagrāha samare girīṇām api dāriṇīm | svarṇadaṇḍāṁ mahāghorām aṣṭaghaṇṭāṁ bhayāvahām ||

Translation

शक्तिं जग्राह समरे गिरीणामपि दारिणीम् । स्वर्णदण्डां महाघोरामष्टघण्टां भयावहाम् ॥

Word by Word

• शक्तिम्: a spear/javelin (śakti-weapon)
• शक्तिम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: शक्ति
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• जग्राह: seized/took up
• जग्राह: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: ग्रह्
• Form: Perfect (Liṭ), Third, Singular, Parasmaipada

• समरे: in battle
• समरे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: समर
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

• गिरीणाम्: of mountains
• गिरीणाम्: Sambandha
• Type: Noun
• Root: गिरि
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Plural

• अपि: even/also
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि

• दारिणीम्: splitting/cleaving (one)
• दारिणीम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दारिणी (from √दॄ/√दर् 'to split')
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• स्वर्णदण्डाम्: having a golden staff/shaft
• स्वर्णदण्डाम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्वर्णदण्डा
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• महाघोराम्: very terrible
• महाघोराम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महाघोरा
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• अष्टघण्टाम्: having eight bells
• अष्टघण्टाम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अष्टघण्टा
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• भयावहाम्: bringing fear/terrifying
• भयावहाम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भयावहा
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• śakti (weapon)
• mountains (giri)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the moral atmosphere of the Kurukṣetra war: as combatants resort to ever more dreadful weapons, fear and destruction intensify. Implicitly, it cautions that unchecked martial fury and reliance on overpowering force deepen suffering and darken the ethical landscape of war.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya narrates that a warrior takes up a powerful śakti (spear-like missile), described in vivid, ominous detail—capable of splitting mountains, with a golden shaft and eight bells—signaling a dangerous turn in the battle.