Shloka 72

Devanagari script

गुरो: सुतं चावरजं तथा55त्मन: पदातिनो<5थ द्विपसादिनश्च तान्‌ निरुध्यताभिद्रवताच्युतार्जुनौ श्रमेण संयोजयताशु सर्वश:

Transliteration

guroḥ sutaṁ cāvarajaṁ tathātmanaḥ padātino ’tha dvipasādinaś ca tān nirudhyatābhidravata acyutārjunau śrameṇa saṁyojayatāśu sarvaśaḥ

Translation

迦尔那说道：“拦住我师之幼子，也同样约束我军——步兵与象骑皆然。随后迅速突进，从四面八方立刻缠战阿周陀（奎师那）与阿周那，使其陷入疲惫的鏖战。”

Word by Word

• गुरोः: of the teacher
• गुरोः: Sambandha
• Type: Noun
• Root: गुरु
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• सुतम्: son
• सुतम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुत
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• अवरजम्: younger (brother/one)
• अवरजम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अवरज
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• तथा: likewise
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा

• आत्मनः: of oneself/yourself
• आत्मनः: Sambandha
• Type: Noun
• Root: आत्मन्
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• पदातिनः: foot-soldiers
• पदातिनः: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: पदाति
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• अथ: then/and now
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ

• द्विपसादिनः: elephant-riders (those mounted on elephants)
• द्विपसादिनः: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विपसादिन्
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

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

• निरुध्यत: restrain/hold back
• Type: Verb
• Root: नि-रुध्
• Form: Imperative, Second, Plural

• अभिद्रवत: run/charge towards
• Type: Verb
• Root: अभि-द्रु
• Form: Imperative, Second, Plural

• अच्युतार्जुनौ: Acyuta and Arjuna
• अच्युतार्जुनौ: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: अच्युत + अर्जुन
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Dual

• श्रमेन: by fatigue/with exertion
• श्रमेन: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्रम
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Singular

• संयोजयत: engage/join (them) in combat
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-युज् (णिच्)
• Form: Imperative, Second, Plural

• आशु: quickly
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: आशु

• सर्वशः: in every way/entirely
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सर्वशस्

Speaker

कर्ण उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Karna
• Acyuta (Krishna)
• Arjuna
• Droṇa (implied by 'guroḥ')
• Aśvatthāman (implied by 'guroḥ sutaṁ ... avarajam')
• infantry (padātinaḥ)
• elephant corps / elephant-riders (dvipasādinaḥ)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights battlefield leadership and strategic prioritization: a commander may restrain even allied forces if their movement disrupts the main objective, and then concentrate effort to pressure the principal opponents. Ethically, it reflects the Mahābhārata’s tension between kṣatriya duty (effective command in war) and the moral ambiguity of using overwhelming, exhausting tactics against key foes.

What is happening in the narrative?

Karna issues orders to his side: hold back the younger son of the preceptor (understood as Aśvatthāman, son of Droṇa) and also restrain Karna’s own infantry and elephant units; then charge and surround Krishna (Acyuta) and Arjuna, engaging them rapidly and from all directions to wear them down through sustained combat.