Shloka 48

Aśvatthāman’s Arrow-Screen and the Confrontation with Yudhiṣṭhira (द्रौणि–युधिष्ठिर-संग्रामः)

Devanagari script

सारड् इव घर्मार्त: कामं विलप शुष्य च

Transliteration

sāraḍ iva gharmārtaḥ kāmaṁ vilapa śuṣya ca

Translation

கடுஞ்சூட்டால் வாடும் தேரோட்டியைப் போல, விருப்பம்போல் புலம்பு—பின் வாடி உலர்ந்து போ.

Word by Word

• सारट्: a lizard (sāraṭ)
• सारट्: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: सारट्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• इव: like, as
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इव

• घर्मार्तः: afflicted by heat
• घर्मार्तः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: घर्मार्त
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• कामम्: indeed, surely (emphatic particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: काम

• विलप: lament! wail!
• Type: Verb
• Root: विलप्
• Form: Imperative, Second, Singular, Parasmaipada

• शुष्य: dry up! wither!
• Type: Verb
• Root: शुष्
• Form: Imperative, Second, Singular, Parasmaipada

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

Speaker

कर्ण उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Karna
• charioteer (sāraṭ)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores that mere lamentation is self-destructive and ineffective; in a dharma-crisis like war, one must conserve strength and act with firmness rather than dissolve into grief.

What is happening in the narrative?

Karna, speaking sharply, dismisses another’s complaint or sorrow, comparing them to a charioteer suffering in oppressive heat, and tells them to lament if they wish—implying it will only lead to further weakening.