Shloka 7

अध्याय ९ — कर्णस्य प्रहारः, योधयुग्मनियोजनम्, शैनेय-कैकेययोर्युद्धविन्यासः

Devanagari script

कर्णस्य निधन श्रुत्वा विजयं फाल्गुनस्य च । अश्रद्धेयमहं मन्ये वध॑ कर्णस्य संजय,संजय! मैं कर्णकी मृत्यु और अर्जुनकी विजयका समाचार सुनकर भी कर्णके वधको विश्वासके योग्य नहीं मानता

Transliteration

karṇasya nidhanaṁ śrutvā vijayaṁ phālgunasya ca | aśraddheyam ahaṁ manye vadhaṁ karṇasya sañjaya ||

Translation

ธฤตราษฏระตรัสว่า— โอสัญชัย แม้ได้ยินข่าวการสิ้นชีพของกรรณะและชัยชนะของฟาลคุนะ (อรชุน) แล้ว ข้าพเจ้าก็ยังเห็นว่าการที่กรรณะถูกสังหารนั้นยากจะเชื่อได้

Word by Word

कर्णस्यof Karna

निधनम्death

श्रुत्वाhaving heard

विजयम्victory

फाल्गुनस्यof Phalguna (Arjuna)

चand

अश्रद्धेयम्unbelievable; not worthy of belief

अहम्I

मन्येI think; I consider

वधम्slaying; killing

कर्णस्यof Karna

संजयO Sanjaya

Speaker

धृतराष्ट उवाच

Characters & Entities

Dhṛtarāṣṭra

Karṇa

Phālguna (Arjuna)

Sañjaya

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how attachment and prior expectations can cloud judgment: Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s emotional investment in Karṇa makes him reject even credible testimony. It points to the ethical need for steadiness and truth-facing in times of loss, especially amid the moral upheaval of war.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya has reported to the blind king Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Karṇa has been killed and that Arjuna has won. Dhṛtarāṣṭra, shocked by the reversal and the fall of a key champion, responds that he cannot believe Karṇa’s death.