Shloka 27
Karma-Yoga, Yajña-Cakra, and the Governance of Desire (कर्मयोग–यज्ञचक्र–कामनिग्रह)
Devanagari script
तान् समीक्ष्य स कौन्तेय: सर्वान् बन्धूनवस्थितान्
Transliteration
tān samīkṣya sa kaunteyaḥ sarvān bandhūn avasthitān
Translation
Having surveyed them, that son of Kuntī beheld all his kinsmen standing arrayed.
Word by Word
तान्those (them)
तान्:
Karma
TypePronoun
Rootतद्
FormMasculine, Accusative, Plural
समीक्ष्यhaving seen/observed
समीक्ष्य:
TypeVerb
Rootसम्-ईक्ष्
Formक्त्वा (absolutive/gerund), Parasmaipada (usage-neutral here)
सःhe
सः:
Karta
TypePronoun
Rootतद्
FormMasculine, Nominative, Singular
कौन्तेयःthe son of Kuntī (Arjuna)
कौन्तेयः:
Karta
TypeNoun
Rootकौन्तेय
FormMasculine, Nominative, Singular
सर्वान्all
सर्वान्:
Karma
TypeAdjective
Rootसर्व
FormMasculine, Accusative, Plural
बन्धून्kinsmen/relatives
बन्धून्:
Karma
TypeNoun
Rootबन्धु
FormMasculine, Accusative, Plural
अवस्थितान्standing/arrayed
अवस्थितान्:
TypeAdjective
Rootअव-स्था
Formक्त (past passive participle), Masculine, Accusative, Plural
Speaker
संजय उवाच
Characters & Entities
S
SañjayaK
Kaunteya (Arjuna)B
bandhūn (kinsmen/relatives)Character 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 the ethical tension that precedes Arjuna’s crisis: moral judgment begins with clear seeing—recognizing that the opponents are not abstractions but one’s own kin, which intensifies questions of dharma, duty, and the cost of violence.
Sañjaya narrates to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Arjuna, positioned on the battlefield, looks across the armies and recognizes his relatives standing in formation, setting the stage for his ensuing hesitation and dialogue.