Shloka 33
Devanagari script
हतपुत्रा हि गान्धारी निहतज्ञातिबान्धवा
Transliteration
hataputrā hi gāndhārī nihatajñātibāndhavā
Translation
Sañjaya said: Gandhārī had indeed lost her sons, and her kinsmen and relatives had been slain—an image of utter bereavement that lays bare the human cost of vengeance and war.
Word by Word
हतपुत्राshe whose sons are slain (bereft of sons)
हतपुत्रा:
Karta
TypeAdjective
Rootहत-पुत्र
FormFeminine, Nominative, Singular
हिindeed/for
हि:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootहि
गान्धारीGandhārī
गान्धारी:
Karta
TypeNoun
Rootगान्धारी
FormFeminine, Nominative, Singular
निहतज्ञातिबान्धवाshe whose kinsmen and relatives are slain (bereft of kin and friends)
निहतज्ञातिबान्धवा:
Karta
TypeAdjective
Rootनिहत-ज्ञाति-बान्धव
FormFeminine, Nominative, Singular
Speaker
संजय उवाच
Characters & Entities
स
संजय (Sañjaya)ग
गान्धारी (Gāndhārī)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 underscores the ethical aftermath of war: victory and revenge culminate in irreversible loss—especially the collapse of family bonds—inviting reflection on the moral cost of violence and the tragedy of hatred sustained over time.
Sañjaya describes Gandhārī’s condition after the slaughter: she is portrayed as utterly bereaved, having lost her sons and her wider circle of kin and relations, setting the tone for mourning and the reckoning that follows the night’s atrocities.