Shloka 53

कर्णवधार्थं धनञ्जयस्य प्रतिज्ञा — Arjuna’s resolve for Karṇa’s defeat

Devanagari script

इति श्रीमहाभारते कर्णपर्वणि संकुलयुद्धे त्रिपठ्चाशत्तमो5ध्याय:

Transliteration

iti śrīmahābhārate karṇaparvaṇi saṅkulayuddhe tripañcāśattamo 'dhyāyaḥ

Translation

至此，《圣摩诃婆罗多》迦尔那篇（Karna Parva）中，叙述那场纷乱纠结、密密交缠之战的第五十三章告终。叙事在此郑重收束，凸显战争无休无止的复杂与残酷，以及其展开过程中所承载的沉重道德分量。

Word by Word

• इति: thus; so (end-quote marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति

• श्रीमहाभारते: in the Śrī-Mahābhārata
• श्रीमहाभारते: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्रीमहाभारत
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• कर्णपर्वणि: in the Karṇa-parvan (Book of Karṇa)
• कर्णपर्वणि: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: कर्णपर्वन्
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• संकुलयुद्धे: in the confused/chaotic battle
• संकुलयुद्धे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: संकुलयुद्ध
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• त्रिपञ्चाशत्तमः: the fifty-third (chapter)
• त्रिपञ्चाशत्तमः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: त्रिपञ्चाशत्तम
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• अध्यायः: chapter
• अध्यायः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: अध्याय
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Śrī Mahābhārata
• Karṇa Parva
• Saṅkula-yuddha (tumultuous/entangled battle)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

As a colophon, the verse does not teach a doctrine directly; it frames the preceding events within the epic’s moral universe by emphasizing that the battle is 'saṅkula'—confused and entangled—hinting at the ethical complexity and human cost that accompany war.

What is happening in the narrative?

This is a formal end-marker: Sañjaya’s narration closes the chapter, identifying it as the fifty-third chapter of the Karṇa Parva in the section describing the tumultuous battle.