Mahabharata 7.175.58 — Drona Parva, Adhyaya 175, Shloka 58

Devanagari script

जहि कर्ण महेष्वासं निशीथे मायया रणे । पार्था द्रोणं वधिष्यन्ति धृष्टद्युम्नपुरोगमा:

Transliteration

jahi karṇa maheṣvāsaṃ niśīthe māyayā raṇe | pārthā droṇaṃ vadhiṣyanti dhṛṣṭadyumnapurogamāḥ ||

Translation

Thần Vāyu nói: “Hãy giết Karṇa, cung thủ vĩ đại, trên chiến địa vào lúc nửa đêm bằng mưu kế của ngươi. Rồi các con của Pṛthā, do Dhṛṣṭadyumna dẫn đầu, sẽ gây nên cái chết của Droṇa.”

Word by Word

• जहि: kill (you kill!)
• Type: Verb
• Root: हन् (√हन्)
• Form: लोट् (imperative), 2, singular, परस्मैपद

• कर्ण: O Karna
• Type: Noun
• Root: कर्ण
• Form: masculine, vocative, singular

• महेष्वासम्: the great archer
• महेष्वासम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महेष्वास
• Form: masculine, accusative, singular

• निशीथे: at midnight
• निशीथे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: निशीथ
• Form: masculine, locative, singular

• मायया: by (your) illusion
• मायया: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: माया
• Form: feminine, instrumental, singular

• रणे: in battle
• रणे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: रण
• Form: neuter, locative, singular

• पार्थाः: the sons of Pritha (Pandavas)
• पार्थाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: पार्थ
• Form: masculine, nominative, plural

• द्रोणम्: Drona
• द्रोणम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्रोण
• Form: masculine, accusative, singular

• वधिष्यन्ति: will kill
• Type: Verb
• Root: वध् (√वध्)
• Form: लृट् (simple future), 3, plural, परस्मैपद

• धृष्टद्युम्नपुरोगमाः: having Dhrishtadyumna in front / led by Dhrishtadyumna
• धृष्टद्युम्नपुरोगमाः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: धृष्टद्युम्न-पुरोगम
• Form: masculine, nominative, plural

Speaker

श्रीवायुदेव उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vāyu (Vāyudeva)
• Karna
• Pāṇḍavas (Pārthas)
• Droṇa (Droṇācārya)
• Dhṛṣṭadyumna
• battlefield (raṇa)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the moral tension of warfare: strategic necessity (night attack and deception) is presented as a means to decisive outcomes, suggesting how dharma becomes contested and compromised under extreme conflict.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vāyu addresses a listener (implied commander/agent) with a directive and prediction: Karṇa is to be killed at midnight through a stratagem, and thereafter the Pāṇḍavas, led by Dhṛṣṭadyumna, will kill Droṇa.