Shloka 38

Devanagari script

जघानात्र पिता पुत्र पुत्रश्न पितरं तथा

Transliteration

jaghānātra pitā putraṁ putraś ca pitaraṁ tathā

Translation

Sañjaya said: Here, in this battle, a father struck down his son, and likewise a son struck down his father—showing how the frenzy of war overturns natural bonds and drives men to acts that violate ordinary moral feeling.

Word by Word

• जघान: slew/killed
• Type: Verb
• Root: हन् (√हन्)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्शभूत/परफेक्ट), प्रथम, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• अत्र: here
• अत्र: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अत्र

• पिता: father
• पिता: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• पुत्रम्: son
• पुत्रम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुत्र
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• पुत्रः: son
• पुत्रः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुत्र
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• पितरम्: father
• पितरम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• तथा: likewise/so too
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• father
• son

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the moral catastrophe of war: even the most sacred human relationships can be shattered when violence and duty-driven conflict dominate, prompting reflection on dharma, restraint, and the cost of enmity.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra the chaos of the Kurukṣetra battle, where combatants, overwhelmed by the clash, end up killing even their own kin—fathers and sons—on opposing sides.