Shloka 38

Devanagari script

प्रशमे हि कृतो यत्न: सुमहान्‌ सुचिरं मया । न चैव शकित: कर्तु कर्ण सत्यं ब्रवीमि ते

Transliteration

praśame hi kṛto yatnaḥ sumahān suciraṃ mayā | na caiva śakitaḥ kartuṃ karṇa satyaṃ bravīmi te ||

Translation

कर्ण! मैं तुमसे सत्य कहता हूँ। शान्ति के लिए मैंने दीर्घकाल तक अत्यन्त महान् प्रयत्न किया, परन्तु मैं उसे सिद्ध न कर सका।

Word by Word

• प्रशमे: in/for peace (pacification)
• प्रशमे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रशम
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

• हि: indeed/for
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि

• कृतः: done/made
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ
• Form: क्त (past passive participle), Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• यत्नः: effort
• यत्नः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: यत्न
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• सुमहान्: very great
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सुमहत्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• सुचिरम्: for a long time
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सुचिर

• मया: by me
• मया: Karana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: अस्मद्
• Form: Instrumental, Singular

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

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

• एव: indeed/just
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव

• शकितः: able (having been able)
• Type: Verb
• Root: शक्
• Form: क्त (past passive participle), Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• कर्तुम्: to do
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ
• Form: तुमुन् (infinitive)

• कर्ण: O Karna
• Type: Noun
• Root: कर्ण
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• सत्यम्: truth
• सत्यम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: सत्य
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• ब्रवीमि: I say/speak
• Type: Verb
• Root: ब्रू
• Form: Present (Lat), 1st, Singular, Parasmaipada

• ते: to you
• ते: Sampradana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: युष्मद्
• Form: Dative, Singular

• कर्ण: O Karna
• Type: Noun
• Root: कर्ण
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīṣma
• Karṇa

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Even sustained and sincere efforts toward peace may fail when conditions and wills are opposed; nevertheless, one must uphold satya (truthfulness) and acknowledge reality without self-deception.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhīṣma addresses Karṇa directly, confessing that he long strove mightily to establish peace but could not succeed, and he emphasizes that he is speaking the truth to Karṇa.