Shloka 32

अर्जुनकर्णसंनिपातवर्णनम् / The Convergence of Arjuna and Karṇa

Devanagari script

यः सर्वतः पर्यपतत्त्वदर्थे सदार्चितो गर्वित: सूतपुत्र: । स शूरमानी समरे समेत्य कच्चित्त्वया निहत: संयुगेडसौ,जो सदा सम्मानित होकर घमंडमें भरा हुआ सूतपुत्र तुम्हारे लिये सब ओर धावा किया करता था, अपनेको शूरवीर माननेवाले उस कर्णको समरांगणमें उसके साथ युद्ध करके क्या तुमने मार डाला है?

Transliteration

yaḥ sarvataḥ paryapatat tvad-arthe sadārcito garvitaḥ sūta-putraḥ | sa śūra-mānī samare sametya kaccit tvayā nihataḥ saṃyuge 'sau ||

Translation

坚战说道：“那车夫之子——素来受人礼敬，却因骄矜而自满——曾从四面八方猛扑向你，只为将你击倒：当你在战阵中与他相遇时，那自诩为英雄的迦尔纳，你当真已在鏖战之中将他斩杀了吗？”

Word by Word

यःwho

सर्वतःfrom all sides / everywhere

पर्यपतत्rushed about / charged

त्वत्from you / than you

अर्थेfor the sake (of) / in the matter

सदाalways

अर्चितःhonored / worshipped

गर्वितःproud

सूतपुत्रःthe charioteer’s son (Karna)

सःhe

शूरमानीthinking himself a hero

समरेin battle

समेत्यhaving met / having engaged

कच्चित्whether indeed? (interrogative particle)

त्वयाby you

निहतःslain

संयुगेin the fight / in combat

असौthat (man), he

Speaker

युधिषछ्िर उवाच

Characters & Entities

Yudhiṣṭhira

Karṇa

sūtaputra (epithet of Karṇa)

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 highlights how social honor and martial reputation can inflate pride, yet in dharma-driven war even the most celebrated warrior must face accountability and mortality. It also shows Yudhiṣṭhira’s ethical anxiety—seeking certainty about a grave act (the killing of Karṇa) rather than celebrating it.

What is happening in the narrative?

Yudhiṣṭhira questions a warrior (contextually, the Pāṇḍava side) about whether Karṇa—described as the proud, ever-honored ‘sūtaputra’ who repeatedly attacked—has been killed after being met directly in battle.