Shloka 36

Karma-Yoga, Yajña-Cakra, and the Governance of Desire (कर्मयोग–यज्ञचक्र–कामनिग्रह)

Devanagari script

निहत्य धार्तराष्ट्रानू नः का प्रीति: स्याज्जनार्दन | पापमेवाश्रयेदस्मान्‌ हत्वैतानाततायिन:,हे जनार्दन! धुृतराष्ट्रके पुत्रोंकी मारकर हमें कया प्रसन्नता होगी? इन आततायियोंकों* मारकर तो हमें पाप ही लगेगा

Transliteration

arjuna uvāca | nihatya dhārtarāṣṭrān naḥ kā prītiḥ syāj janārdana | pāpam evāśrayed asmān hatvaitān ātatāyinaḥ ||

Translation

Arjuna said: “O Janārdana, what joy could be ours after killing the sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra? By slaying these aggressors, sin alone would cling to us—rather than any true gain or righteousness.”

Word by Word

• निहत्य: having slain
• Type: Verb
• Root: हन् (√हन्)
• Form: क्त्वा (absolutive/gerund), परस्मैपद-भावार्थ (gerundial)

• धार्तराष्ट्रान्: the sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra / the Dhārtarāṣṭras
• धार्तराष्ट्रान्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: धार्तराष्ट्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• नः: for us / to us
• नः: Sampradana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: अस्मद् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Dative, Plural

• का: what (kind of)?
• का: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: किम् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• प्रीतिः: joy, satisfaction
• प्रीतिः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रीति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• स्यात्: would be
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (√अस्)
• Form: Potential/Optative (विधिलिङ्), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

• जनार्दन: O Janārdana (Kṛṣṇa)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जनार्दन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• पापम्: sin
• पापम्: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• एव: indeed, only
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव

• आश्रयेत्: would attach to / would befall
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रि (√श्रि)
• Form: Potential/Optative (विधिलिङ्), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

• अस्मान्: us
• अस्मान्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: अस्मद् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Accusative, Plural

• हत्वा: having killed
• Type: Verb
• Root: हन् (√हन्)
• Form: क्त्वा (absolutive/gerund), परस्मैपद-भावार्थ (gerundial)

• एतान्: these
• एतान्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: एतद् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• आततायिनः: aggressors, felons
• आततायिनः: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: आततायिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

Speaker

अजुन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Arjuna
• Janārdana (Kṛṣṇa)
• Dhṛtarāṣṭra
• Dhārtarāṣṭras (Kauravas)