Shloka 52
Devanagari script
पितृपुत्रवधं प्राप्प पुमान् कः परिपालयेत्
Transliteration
pitṛputravadhaṁ prāpya pumān kaḥ paripālayet
Translation
Bhīmasena sprach: „Wenn einer dazu gekommen ist, Vater und Sohn zu töten, welcher Mann könnte dann noch behaupten, Rechtschaffenheit oder Selbstzucht zu wahren?“
Word by Word
पितृपुत्रवधम्the killing of father and son
पितृपुत्रवधम्:
Karma
TypeNoun
Rootपितृ + पुत्र + वध
FormMasculine, Accusative, Singular
प्राप्यhaving obtained/after encountering
प्राप्य:
TypeVerb
Rootप्र + आप्
FormAbsolutive (Gerund), Parasmaipada (usage-neutral here)
पुमान्a man
पुमान्:
Karta
TypeNoun
Rootपुमांस्
FormMasculine, Nominative, Singular
कःwho?
कः:
Karta
TypePronoun
Rootकिम्
FormMasculine, Nominative, Singular
परिपालयेत्could/should protect, maintain
परिपालयेत्:
TypeVerb
Rootपरि + पाल्
FormOptative (Vidhi-lin), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada
Speaker
भीमसेन उवाच
Characters & Entities
B
BhīmasenaCharacter Dynamics
Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)
War Context
Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)
Philosophical Teaching
Political Layer
Geographic Context
Cross References
Meter (Chandas)
Sandhi Notes
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a moral challenge: once someone has crossed the extreme boundary of killing both father and son, it becomes difficult to speak of preserving dharma or self-restraint; it highlights how certain acts rupture ethical legitimacy.
In the heat of the Drona Parva’s violence, Bhīma voices indignation and condemnation, pointing to the enormity of a deed described as the slaying of both father and son, and questions how any person could still claim to uphold proper conduct.