Shloka 93

Devanagari script

कथमन्ये करिष्यन्ति पुत्रेभ्य: पुत्रिण: स्पृहाम्‌ । “मेरे जीते-जी यदि पिताको अपने केश पकड़े जानेका अपमानपूर्ण कष्ट उठाना पड़ा, तब दूसरे पुत्रवान्‌ पुरुष किसलिये पुत्रोंकी अभिलाषा करेंगे?

Transliteration

katham anye kariṣyanti putrebhyaḥ putriṇaḥ spṛhām |

Translation

Sañjaya berkata: “Jika selagi aku masih hidup ayahku harus menanggung siksaan yang menghinakan—rambutnya dijambak—maka mengapa lelaki lain yang telah beranak masih akan mendambakan anak lelaki?”

Word by Word

कथम्how?

अन्येothers

करिष्यन्तिwill do / will make

पुत्रेभ्यःfrom sons

पुत्रिणःhaving sons, son-possessing

स्पृहाम्desire, longing

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

father (pitar-; unnamed in the Sanskrit line)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the ethical cost of war and dynastic ambition: even having sons—normally a source of pride and continuity—can become a cause of unbearable dishonor and suffering when violence and political conflict overturn filial protection and social respect.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya voices a bitter reflection prompted by a scene of extreme humiliation—an elder/father figure being grabbed by the hair—using it to question the very value of desiring sons, since sons may fail to protect elders and may even become the occasion for their disgrace amid the Kurukṣetra catastrophe.