Shloka 25

Devanagari script

सेयं तव करप्राप्ता हत्वैकं रिपुमूर्जितम्‌ गर्जन्तं प्रतपन्तं च मामेवैष्यति सूतज,“वही शक्ति तुम्हारे हाथमें जाकर किसी एक तेजस्वी, ओजस्वी, प्रतापी तथा गर्जना करनेवाले शत्रुको मारकर पुनः मेरे ही पास आ जायगी”

Transliteration

seyaṁ tava karaprāptā hatvaikaṁ ripum ūrjitam | garjantaṁ pratapantaṁ ca mām evaiṣyati sūtaja ||

Translation

婆娑婆说道：“此枪到了你手中，只能诛杀一名敌人——强盛有力，咆哮挑战，威光炽烈——随后便只会回到我这里，噢，御者之子。”

Word by Word

साshe/that (weapon, feminine)

इयम्this

तवof you/your

करin (your) hand

प्राप्ताhaving reached/obtained

हत्वाhaving slain

एकम्one

रिपुम्enemy

ऊर्जितम्mighty/energetic

गर्जन्तम्roaring

प्रतपन्तम्scorching/afflicting (powerful)

चand

माम्me

एवindeed/only

एष्यतिwill come/return

सूतजO son of a charioteer (Karna)

Speaker

कर्ण उवाच

Characters & Entities

Karna

sūtaja (addressed person: son of a charioteer)

śakti (implied weapon/power referred to as 'this')

an unnamed enemy (ripu)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Power is presented as bounded and conditional: even a supreme weapon is framed with limits (it kills only one) and with control retained by the giver (it returns to Karna). The verse highlights how martial gifts can create dependence and obligation, and how strategic restraint can be as significant as raw force.

What is happening in the narrative?

Karna speaks about a specific weapon/power that will come into the addressee’s hand, kill a single formidable enemy, and then return to Karna. The statement functions as a promise and a strategic assurance about the weapon’s use and its inevitable return.