Shloka 75

कर्णपर्व — अध्याय ४०

Karṇa’s Pressure on the Pāñcālas; Duryodhana Disabled; Arjuna’s Counter-Advance

Devanagari script

भ्रातरं निहतं दृष्टवा समरे सव्यसाचिना । पश्यतां कुरुवीराणां प्रथमं त्वं पलायित:,सव्यसाची अर्जुनके द्वारा समरांगणमें अपने भाईको मारा गया देखकर कौरव वीरोंके समक्ष सबसे पहले तुम्हीं भागे थे

Transliteration

bhrātaraṁ nihataṁ dṛṣṭvā samare savyasācinā | paśyatāṁ kuruvīrāṇāṁ prathamaṁ tvaṁ palāyitaḥ ||

Translation

眼见你的兄弟在战场上被娴于左右开弓的萨维亚萨钦（阿周那）所杀，诸俱卢勇士皆在旁目睹，而你却第一个逃遁。

Word by Word

• भ्रातरम्: brother (as object)
• भ्रातरम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: भ्रातृ
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• निहतम्: slain
• निहतम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नि-हन्
• Form: क्त (past passive participle), Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश्
• Form: क्त्वा (absolutive/gerund)

• समरे: in battle
• समरे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: समर
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

• सव्यसाचिना: by Savyasācin (Arjuna)
• सव्यसाचिना: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: सव्यसाचिन्
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Singular

• पश्यताम्: while (they) were watching
• Type: Verb
• Root: पश्यत् (from धातु: पश्य/दृश्)
• Form: present active participle used as genitive absolute, Masculine, Genitive, Plural

• कुरुवीराणाम्: of the Kuru warriors
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुरुवीर
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Plural

• प्रथमम्: first
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: प्रथम

• त्वम्: you
• त्वम्: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: युष्मद्
• Form: —, Nominative, Singular

• पलायितः: fled / ran away
• Type: Verb
• Root: पलायि (from धातु: पलाय्)
• Form: क्त (past active/resultative participle, used predicatively), Masculine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

काक उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Arjuna (Savyasācin)
• Kuru warriors
• the slain brother (unnamed in this verse)
• battlefield (samara)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores kṣatriya-ethics: steadfastness in battle and accountability before one’s peers. Fleeing first—especially after witnessing a brother’s death—becomes a moral indictment of abandoning duty and honor under public scrutiny.

What is happening in the narrative?

A speaker identified as “Kāka” rebukes an opponent, accusing him of being the first to run away when Arjuna (Savyasācin) killed his brother in combat, and emphasizing that this happened in full view of the Kuru warriors.