Shloka 43

कर्णस्य दानप्रतिज्ञा–शल्योपदेश–वाक्ययुद्धम्

Karna’s Gift-Vows, Shalya’s Counsel, and the Battle of Words

Devanagari script

एवमेतन्महद्‌ युद्ध दारुणे शस्त्रसंकुलम्‌

Transliteration

evam etan mahad yuddha dāruṇe śastra-saṅkulam

Translation

三阇耶说道：“诚然如此——这场大战已变得可怖，四面尽是兵刃丛集。”

Word by Word

एवम्thus, in this manner

एतत्this

महत्great

युद्धम्battle, war

दारुणेin the dreadful (situation)

शस्त्रसंकुलम्crowded/thick with weapons

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

battle (Kurukṣetra war)

weapons (śastra)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores the moral gravity of war: once unleashed, conflict becomes an all-consuming, weapon-choked calamity. Sañjaya’s detached reporting highlights how violence expands beyond control, pressing the listener to reflect on dharma, restraint, and the human cost of kṣatriya conflict.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya, describing events to Dhṛtarāṣṭra, characterizes the ongoing fighting as a vast and terrifying engagement, packed with weapons—signaling the intensity and chaos of the battlefield in the Karṇa Parva.