Shloka 68

Cakravyūha-saṃkalpaḥ, Saṃśaptaka-āhvānaṃ, Saubhadra-vikrīḍitam

Drona Parva, Adhyāya 32

Devanagari script

भल्लाभ्यां साधुमुक्ता भ्यां छित्त्वा कर्णस्य कार्मुकम्‌

Transliteration

bhallābhyāṃ sādhumuktābhyāṃ chittvā karṇasya kārmukam

Translation

भल्लाभ्यां साधुमुक्ताभ्यां छित्त्वा कर्णस्य कार्मुकम्।

Word by Word

• भल्लाभ्याम्: with two arrows
• भल्लाभ्याम्: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: भल्ल
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Dual

• साधु: well, properly
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: साधु

• मुक्ताभ्याम्: released/shot
• मुक्ताभ्याम्: Karana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मुक्त
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Dual

• छित्त्वा: having cut
• Type: Verb
• Root: छिद्
• Form: Absolutive (Gerund)

• कर्णस्य: of Karna
• Type: Noun
• Root: कर्ण
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• कार्मुकम्: bow
• कार्मुकम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: कार्मुक
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Karṇa
• kārmuka (bow)
• bhalla (broad-headed arrow)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the kṣatriya ideal of disciplined skill: precision and timely action can neutralize even a great opponent’s advantage. Ethically, it underscores that in war, mastery and resolve often decide outcomes within the harsh framework of battlefield dharma.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports that an unnamed warrior (contextually, Karṇa’s opponent in this episode) shoots two well-directed bhalla-arrows and severs Karṇa’s bow, temporarily disarming him and shifting the immediate balance of the fight.