Shloka 35

Devanagari script

मेने चात्मानमधिकं पृथिव्यामधि भारत

Transliteration

mene cātmānam adhikaṃ pṛthivyām adhi bhārata

Translation

Sañjaya dit : « Ô Bhārata, il se jugeait supérieur sur la terre. »

Word by Word

• मेने: thought/considered
• मेने: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: मन् (मन्यते)
• Form: Perfect (Liṭ), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

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

• आत्मानम्: himself
• आत्मानम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: आत्मन्
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• अधिकम्: superior/greater
• अधिकम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अधिक
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• पृथिव्याम्: on the earth
• पृथिव्याम्: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: पृथिवी
• Form: Feminine, Locative, Singular

• अधि: over/above; in regard to
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अधि

• भारत: O Bharata
• Type: Noun
• Root: भारत
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Bhārata (Dhṛtarāṣṭra)
• Pṛthivī (the earth)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The line highlights the moral danger of self-exaltation: in the midst of conflict, the belief that one is ‘greater than all on earth’ signals pride that can cloud judgment and weaken adherence to dharma.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that a warrior (implied by context) became inflated with confidence, regarding himself as preeminent in the world—an attitude often preceding rash action in the war narrative.