Shloka 50

Devanagari script

तथा कर्ण महेष्वासं पुत्रास्तव नराधिप । उपालीयन्त संत्रासात्‌ पाण्डवस्थ महात्मन:

Transliteration

tathā karṇa maheṣvāsaṃ putrās tava narādhipa | upālīyanta saṃtrāsāt pāṇḍavastha mahātmanaḥ ||

Translation

Sañjaya thưa: “Tâu Đại vương, cũng như muôn loài vì sợ cái chết mà nương tựa nơi Dharma, thì các hoàng tử của bệ hạ—kinh hãi trước Arjuna, người Pāṇḍava đại tâm—đã bắt đầu tìm chỗ ẩn nấp sau lưng Karṇa, cung thủ hùng mạnh.”

Word by Word

• तथा: thus, in the same way
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा

• कर्ण: O Karna
• Type: Noun
• Root: कर्ण
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• महेष्वासम्: the great bowman
• महेष्वासम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महेष्वास
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• पुत्राः: sons
• पुत्राः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुत्र
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• तव: your
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: त्वद्
• Form: Masculine/Feminine/Neuter, Genitive, Singular

• नराधिप: O king (lord of men)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नराधिप
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• उपालीयन्त: they took refuge (they sheltered themselves)
• Type: Verb
• Root: उप-ली
• Form: Imperfect, 3rd, Plural, Atmanepada

• संत्रासात्: from fear, out of terror
• संत्रासात्: Apadana
• Type: Noun
• Root: संत्रास
• Form: Masculine, Ablative, Singular

• पाण्डवस्य: of the Pandava
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाण्डव
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• महात्मनः: of the great-souled one
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महात्मन्
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Dhṛtarāṣṭra
• Karna
• Arjuna
• Kaurava princes (Dhṛtarāṣṭra's sons)
• Pāṇḍavas

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse uses a moral analogy: just as beings threatened by death instinctively seek the protection of dharma, so frightened warriors seek a protector in battle. It highlights how fear drives refuge-seeking, and it implicitly contrasts true refuge (dharma) with worldly refuge (a powerful fighter).

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to King Dhṛtarāṣṭra that the Kaurava princes, alarmed by Arjuna’s might on the battlefield, cluster behind Karṇa for protection, treating him as their shield against the Pāṇḍava hero.