Shloka 50

अर्जुनस्य शीघ्रप्रयाणं भीम-शकुनियुद्धं च

Arjuna’s Rapid Advance and the Bhīma–Śakuni Encounter

Devanagari script

तेषामाददत: प्राणानासीदाधिरथेरवपु:

Transliteration

teṣām ādadatāḥ prāṇān āsīd ādhirather vapuḥ

Translation

桑阇耶说道：当他夺取众人的性命之时，阿提罗陀之子（迦尔纳）的躯体本身竟化作可怖的杀戮之器——昭示战势阴沉而迅疾的推进：在战场上，主宰一切的不是怜悯，而是武勇。

Word by Word

• तेषाम्: of them
• तेषाम्: Sampradana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Genitive, Plural

• आददतः: of (him) taking away
• आददतः: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ + दा
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• प्राणान्: lives, vital breaths
• प्राणान्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्राण
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• आसीत्: was
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस्
• Form: Imperfect (Lan), 3rd, Singular

• आधिरथेः: of Ādhiratha (Karna)
• आधिरथेः: Sampradana
• Type: Noun (Proper/Patronymic)
• Root: आधिरथि
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• वपुः: body, form
• वपुः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: वपुस्
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Karna (Ādhiratha’s son)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores the harsh ethical reality of war: once battle is fully joined, a warrior’s embodied power can become synonymous with death-dealing force, highlighting the tragic tension between kṣatriya duty and the human cost of violence.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes Karna in the midst of combat, portraying him as actively slaying opponents—“taking their lives”—and emphasizing how his very presence (vapuḥ) appears as a formidable, lethal force on the battlefield.