Shloka 17

Devanagari script

ते पञ्च पाञउ्चालरथप्रवीरा वैकर्तनं कर्णमभिद्रवन्त: । तस्माद्‌ रथाच्चयावयितु न शेकु- ्ैर्यात्‌ कृतात्मानमिवेन्द्रियार्था:

Transliteration

te pañca pāñcālaratha-pravīrā vaikartanaṃ karṇam abhidravantāḥ | tasmād rathāc cyāvayituṃ na śekuḥ yathā kṛtātmānam ivendriyārthāḥ ||

Translation

Sinabi ni Sañjaya: Ang limang pinakabantog na bayani sa mga mandirigmang karwahe ng Pāñcāla ay sumalakay kay Vaikartana Karṇa; ngunit hindi nila siya magawang mapaalis o mapabagsak mula sa kanyang karwahe. Gaya rin nito, ang mga bagay na dinarama ng mga pandama—tunog, haplos, at iba pa—ay hindi kayang, sa lakas nila, guluhin ang taong may pagpipigil-sa-sarili na napasuko ang kanyang isipan.

Word by Word

• ते: those
• ते: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• पञ्च: five
• पञ्च: Karta
• Type: Numeral
• Root: पञ्चन्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• पाञ्चाल-रथ-प्रवीराः: chief heroes among the Panchala chariot-warriors
• पाञ्चाल-रथ-प्रवीराः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रवीर
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• वैकर्तनम्: Vaikartana (Karna)
• वैकर्तनम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: वैकर्तन
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• कर्णम्: Karna
• कर्णम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: कर्ण
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• अभिद्रवन्तः: attacking, rushing upon
• अभिद्रवन्तः: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: अभि-√द्रु (द्रवति)
• Form: शतृ (present active participle), Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• तस्मात्: from that
• तस्मात्: Apadana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Ablative, Singular

• रथात्: from the chariot
• रथात्: Apadana
• Type: Noun
• Root: रथ
• Form: Masculine, Ablative, Singular

• च्यावयितुम्: to cause to fall/move down, to dislodge
• च्यावयितुम्: Karma
• Type: Verb
• Root: च्यावयितुम् (causative infinitive of √च्यु)
• Form: तुमुन् (infinitive), Causative sense

• न: not
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न

• शेकुः: were able
• Type: Verb
• Root: √शक् (शक्नोति)
• Form: Perfect (लिट्), Third, Plural, Parasmaipada

• यथा: just as
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा

• कृत-आत्मानम्: one who has mastered himself (self-controlled)
• कृत-आत्मानम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृतात्मन्
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• इव: as if/like
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इव

• इन्द्रिय-अर्थाः: objects of the senses
• इन्द्रिय-अर्थाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: अर्थ
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Karṇa (Vaikartana)
• Pāñcāla chariot-warriors (five heroes)
• chariot
• sense-objects (sound, touch, etc.)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse uses a battlefield image to teach inner discipline: a person who has mastered the mind (kṛtātmā) is not easily shaken by sense-objects, just as Karṇa remains undislodged despite fierce assaults.

What is happening in the narrative?

Five leading Pāñcāla chariot-heroes rush to attack Karṇa, but even with their combined effort they fail to dislodge him from his chariot; Sañjaya frames this as a comparison to the steadiness of a self-controlled yogin.