Shloka 13

Devanagari script

तस्मात्‌ तेषां भागहरा भागिनेया न सूनव:,“इसलिये उनकी धन-सम्पत्तिके उत्तराधिकारी भानजे होते हैं, पुत्र नहीं

Transliteration

tasmāt teṣāṃ bhāgaharā bhāgineyā na sūnavaḥ

Translation

Karna said: “Therefore, in their case, the rightful takers of the allotted share and inheritors of property are the sister’s sons (nephews), not the sons.”

Word by Word

• तस्मात्: therefore/from that reason
• तस्मात्: Apadana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तद्
• Form: masculine/neuter, ablative, singular

• तेषाम्: of them/their
• तेषाम्: Adhikarana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: masculine/neuter, genitive, plural

• भागहराः: share-takers/inheritors
• भागहराः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: भागहर
• Form: masculine, nominative, plural

• भागिनेयाः: sister's sons/nephews
• भागिनेयाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: भागिनेय
• Form: masculine, nominative, plural

• न: not
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न

• सूनवः: sons
• सूनवः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: सूनु
• Form: masculine, nominative, plural

Speaker

कर्ण उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Karna

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse asserts a dharma-based principle of succession: entitlement to wealth and shares can follow established social/legal custom, here privileging the sister’s sons (bhāgineyāḥ) over sons, emphasizing that rights are determined by recognized norms rather than personal claims.

What is happening in the narrative?

Karna is making an argumentative point—citing a rule of inheritance—to support a claim about who should receive property or a rightful share. The line functions as a justification within a broader dispute over entitlement and legitimacy.