Shloka 50

Devanagari script

तेषामाददत: प्राणानासीदाधिरथेरवपु:

Transliteration

teṣām ādadatāḥ prāṇān āsīd ādhirather vapuḥ

Translation

వారి ప్రాణాలను హరిస్తూ ఉండగా, అధిరథపుత్రుడు (కర్ణుడు) యొక్క దేహమే మరణానికి భయంకర సాధనమై నిలిచింది.

Word by Word

• तेषाम्: of them
• तेषाम्: Sampradana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Genitive, Plural

• आददतः: of (him) taking away
• आददतः: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ + दा
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• प्राणान्: lives, vital breaths
• प्राणान्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्राण
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• आसीत्: was
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस्
• Form: Imperfect (Lan), 3rd, Singular

• आधिरथेः: of Ādhiratha (Karna)
• आधिरथेः: Sampradana
• Type: Noun (Proper/Patronymic)
• Root: आधिरथि
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• वपुः: body, form
• वपुः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: वपुस्
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Karna (Ādhiratha’s son)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores the harsh ethical reality of war: once battle is fully joined, a warrior’s embodied power can become synonymous with death-dealing force, highlighting the tragic tension between kṣatriya duty and the human cost of violence.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes Karna in the midst of combat, portraying him as actively slaying opponents—“taking their lives”—and emphasizing how his very presence (vapuḥ) appears as a formidable, lethal force on the battlefield.