Shloka 226

देवसत्रे मृत्युनिरोधः, पूर्वेन्द्राणां मानुषावतरणम्, द्रौपदी-वरकथनम्

Suspension of Death at the Devasatra; Former Indras’ Human Descent; Draupadī’s Boon Etiology

Devanagari script

बाद्यां तेजस्तदाजय्यं मन्यमानो महारथ: । वैशम्पायनजी कहते हैं--जनमेजय! अर्जुनकी यह बात सुनकर महारथी कर्ण ब्राह्मतेजको अजेय मानता हुआ उस समय युद्ध छोड़कर हट गया

Transliteration

vaiśampāyana uvāca — janamejaya! arjunasya vacanaṃ śrutvā mahārathaḥ karṇaḥ brāhma-tejasaḥ ajeyatvaṃ manyamānaḥ tadā yuddhāt nivavṛte.

Translation

毗湿摩耶那说道：“阇那美阇耶啊，迦尔纳这位大车战士听了阿周那的话，认为婆罗门的灵威不可战胜，便在那时退出了战斗。”

Word by Word

• ब्राह्म्यं: brahmanical, pertaining to Brahman (priestly/spiritual)
• ब्राह्म्यं: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ब्राह्म (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• तेजः: splendor, spiritual power
• तेजः: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: तेजस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• अजय्यम्: unconquerable, invincible
• अजय्यम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अजय्य (प्रातिपदिक; नञ्-पूर्वक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• मन्यमानः: thinking, considering
• मन्यमानः: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: मन् (धातु) + शानच्
• Form: Present (participle), Singular, Masculine, Nominative

• महारथः: great chariot-warrior
• महारथः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: महारथ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• Janamejaya
• Arjuna
• Karna
• brāhma-tejas (spiritual power)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Even a foremost warrior recognizes limits set by dharma: sacred spiritual power (brāhma-tejas) is treated as inviolable, and prudence/restraint can be more righteous than persistence in combat.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana narrates to Janamejaya that Karṇa, after hearing Arjuna’s statement, judges the brāhmaṇa’s spiritual potency to be unbeatable and therefore withdraws from the battle at that moment.