Shloka 6

कर्णवधप्रसङ्गः / The Context of Karṇa’s Fall

Krishna’s Dharmic Recollection and the Decisive Astra

Devanagari script

अष्टागवामष्ट शतानि बाणान्‌ मया प्रयुद्धस्य वहन्ति तस्य । तांस्तेन मुक्तानहमस्य बाणै- व्यनाशयं वायुरिवा भ्रजालम्‌

Transliteration

arjuna uvāca |

aṣṭāgavām aṣṭa śatāni bāṇān mayā prayuddhasya vahanti tasya |

tāṁs tena muktān aham asya bāṇair vyanāśayaṁ vāyur ivā bhrajālam ||

Translation

阿周那说道：“鏖战之中，他向我射来八百支箭——迅疾得仿佛由八匹骏马驮载而至。然而他所放出的那些箭矢，我以己箭尽数击碎，正如狂风吹散一团炽烈的光焰。”

Word by Word

• अष्ट: eight
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अष्टन्
• Form: —, —, —

• अगवाम्: of cows
• Type: Noun
• Root: गो
• Form: Feminine, Genitive, Plural

• अष्ट: eight
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अष्टन्
• Form: —, —, —

• शतानि: hundreds
• शतानि: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: शत
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Plural

• बाणान्: arrows
• बाणान्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: बाण
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• मया: by me
• मया: Karana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: अहम्
• Form: —, Instrumental, Singular

• प्रयुद्धस्य: of (him) fighting / of the fighter
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-युध्
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• वहन्ति: carry / bear
• Type: Verb
• Root: वह्
• Form: Present, Third, Plural

• तस्य: of him
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• तान्: those (arrows)
• तान्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• तेन: by him
• तेन: Karana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Singular

• मुक्तान्: released / shot
• Type: Verb
• Root: मुच्
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: अहम्
• Form: —, Nominative, Singular

• अस्य: of this (man) / of him
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: इदम्
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• बाणैः: with arrows
• बाणैः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: बाण
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

• व्यनाशयम्: I destroyed
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि-नश्
• Form: Imperfect (Past), First, Singular

• वायुः: wind
• वायुः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: वायु
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• इव: like / as
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इव

• भ्रजालम्: a mass/net of radiance (glare)
• भ्रजालम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: भ्रजाल
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

Speaker

अजुन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Arjuna
• arrows (bāṇa)
• wind (vāyu)
• bhrajāla (mass of radiance/flame)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights disciplined strength in righteous combat: even when faced with overwhelming force, a warrior must respond with skill and steadiness, neutralizing harm without losing composure—an aspect of kṣatriya-dharma in the epic’s battlefield ethics.

What is happening in the narrative?

Arjuna reports that his opponent shot a massive volley of eight hundred arrows at him, but Arjuna countered by cutting down or destroying those incoming shafts with his own arrows, likening the act to wind dispersing a blazing mass of light.