Shloka 16

Devanagari script

ततः कर्णो महाचापं विकृष्याभ्यधिकं तदा । अवाक्षिपत्‌ ततः शब्दो हाहाकारो महानभूत्‌,तब कर्णने अपने महान्‌ धनुषको बड़े जोरसे खींचकर टंकार की। उससे वहाँ महान्‌ हाहाकारका शब्द होने लगा

Transliteration

tataḥ karṇo mahācāpaṃ vikṛṣyābhyadhikaṃ tadā | avākṣipat tataḥ śabdo hāhākāro mahān abhūt ||

Translation

于是迦尔纳以非凡之力挽起巨弓，使之迸发轰然弦响；霎时彼处喧哗大作，呼号骚动之声四起。

Word by Word

ततःthen, thereafter

कर्णःKarna

महाचापम्great bow

विकृष्यhaving drawn (pulled)

अभ्यधिकम्excessively, very much (with great force)

तदाat that time

अवाक्षिपत्he let go / he cast down (made it resound)

ततःfrom that, thereupon

शब्दःsound

हाहाकारःcry of alarm, uproar

महान्great

अभूत्arose, happened, became

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Karṇa

mahācāpa (mighty bow)

śabda (sound)

hāhākāra (uproar)

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 a warrior’s show of strength—here, the loud twang of a drawn bow—can shape the moral atmosphere of a scene: it can intimidate, rally, or provoke, thereby escalating tensions even before direct combat. It implicitly cautions that power displayed without restraint can trigger fear and disorder.

What is happening in the narrative?

Karṇa draws his powerful bow with great force and releases it to produce a sharp, commanding sound. That sound causes a widespread uproar—people cry out and commotion spreads—signaling heightened alarm and the intensification of the confrontation.