Mahabharata 7.133.49 — Drona Parva, Adhyaya 133, Shloka 49

दुर्योधनस्य कर्णप्रार्थना — कृपकर्णसंवादः

Duryodhana’s Appeal to Karna — The Kripa–Karna Dialogue

Devanagari script

तत्र भारत भीमं तु दृष्टवन्त: सम सायकै: । समाचिततनु संख्ये श्वाविधं शललैरिव,भारत! उस समय युद्धस्थलमें बाणोंसे चिने हुए शरीरवाले भीमसेनको सब लोगोंने कंटकोंसे युक्त साहीके समान देखा

Transliteration

tatra bhārata bhīmaṃ tu dṛṣṭavantaḥ sama-sāyakaiḥ | samācita-tanuṃ saṅkhye śvāvidhaṃ śalalair iva ||

Translation

Tại đó, hỡi Bhārata, các chiến binh nhìn thấy Bhīma trên chiến địa—thân mình bị tên cắm dày đặc, đều khắp—trông như một con nhím dựng đầy gai nhọn.

Word by Word

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र
• Form: indeclinable (locative adverb)

• भारत: O Bharata
• Type: Noun
• Root: भारत
• Form: masculine, vocative, singular

• भीमम्: Bhima
• भीमम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: भीम
• Form: masculine, accusative, singular

• तु: but/indeed
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु
• Form: indeclinable (particle)

• दृष्टवन्तः: having seen / saw
• दृष्टवन्तः: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश्
• Form: past active participle (क्तवत्), masculine, nominative, plural

• समसायकैः: with equal/levelled arrows
• समसायकैः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: समसायक
• Form: masculine, instrumental, plural

• समाचिततनुम्: whose body was heaped/covered (with arrows)
• समाचिततनुम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: समाचिततनु
• Form: masculine, accusative, singular

• संख्ये: in battle
• संख्ये: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: संख्या
• Form: feminine, locative, singular

• श्वाविधम्: porcupine
• श्वाविधम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्वाविध
• Form: masculine, accusative, singular

• शललैः: with arrows/darts
• शललैः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: शलल
• Form: masculine, instrumental, plural

• इव: like/as
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इव
• Form: indeclinable (comparative particle)

• भारत: O Bharata
• Type: Noun
• Root: भारत
• Form: masculine, vocative, singular

Speaker

कर्ण उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Karna
• Bhima (Bhimasena)
• Bharata (addressed figure/lineage)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights steadfastness under suffering: even when pierced by many arrows, a warrior like Bhīma remains present in the fight. Ethically, it reflects the kṣatriya ideal of endurance and resolve amid the harsh realities of dharmic warfare.

What is happening in the narrative?

Karna reports that on the battlefield everyone saw Bhīma’s body densely stuck with arrows, making him resemble a porcupine bristling with quills—an intense visual of the ongoing, brutal exchange of missiles.