Shloka 25

कर्णपर्व — चतुर्दशोऽध्यायः

Arjuna’s Suppression of the Saṃśaptakas; Kṛṣṇa’s Strategic Admonition; Battlefield Inventory

Devanagari script

बाणसड्घैर्वृतं घोरमाकाशं समपद्यत

Transliteration

bāṇa-saṅghair vṛtaṃ ghoraṃ ākāśaṃ samapadyata

Translation

三阇耶说道：天空成了可怖的景象，被成群的箭矢充塞并完全遮蔽——这是战争压倒性的暴烈之象：人的决意竟将苍穹也化作伤害之地。

Word by Word

• बाणसङ्घैः: by clusters/masses of arrows
• बाणसङ्घैः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: बाणसङ्घ
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

• वृतम्: covered, enveloped
• वृतम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वृत
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• घोरम्: terrible, dreadful
• घोरम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: घोर
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• आकाशम्: the sky
• आकाशम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: आकाश
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• समपद्यत: became / came to be
• समपद्यत: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + पद्
• Form: Imperfect (Laṅ), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• arrows
• sky (ākāśa)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores the dehumanizing scale of war: when conflict escalates, even the natural order (the sky) is metaphorically overwhelmed. It implicitly cautions that unchecked martial fury eclipses clarity and compassion, turning the world into an arena of fear.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes the intensity of the battle: volleys of arrows are so dense that the sky appears covered and terrifying, conveying the ferocity of the ongoing combat in the Karṇa Parva.