Shloka 36

Karma-Yoga, Yajña-Cakra, and the Governance of Desire (कर्मयोग–यज्ञचक्र–कामनिग्रह)

Devanagari script

निहत्य धार्तराष्ट्रानू नः का प्रीति: स्याज्जनार्दन | पापमेवाश्रयेदस्मान्‌ हत्वैतानाततायिन:,हे जनार्दन! धुृतराष्ट्रके पुत्रोंकी मारकर हमें कया प्रसन्नता होगी? इन आततायियोंकों* मारकर तो हमें पाप ही लगेगा

Transliteration

arjuna uvāca | nihatya dhārtarāṣṭrān naḥ kā prītiḥ syāj janārdana | pāpam evāśrayed asmān hatvaitān ātatāyinaḥ ||

Translation

Arjuna said: O Janārdana, what joy could be ours after killing the sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra? By slaying these aggressors, sin alone would cling to us—rather than any true gain or righteousness.

Word by Word

• निहत्य: having slain
• Type: Verb
• Root: हन् (√हन्)
• Form: क्त्वा (absolutive/gerund), परस्मैपद-भावार्थ (gerundial)

• धार्तराष्ट्रान्: the sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra / the Dhārtarāṣṭras
• धार्तराष्ट्रान्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: धार्तराष्ट्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• नः: for us / to us
• नः: Sampradana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: अस्मद् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Dative, Plural

• का: what (kind of)?
• का: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: किम् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• प्रीतिः: joy, satisfaction
• प्रीतिः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रीति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• स्यात्: would be
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (√अस्)
• Form: Potential/Optative (विधिलिङ्), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

• जनार्दन: O Janārdana (Kṛṣṇa)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जनार्दन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• पापम्: sin
• पापम्: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• एव: indeed, only
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव

• आश्रयेत्: would attach to / would befall
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रि (√श्रि)
• Form: Potential/Optative (विधिलिङ्), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

• अस्मान्: us
• अस्मान्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: अस्मद् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Accusative, Plural

• हत्वा: having killed
• Type: Verb
• Root: हन् (√हन्)
• Form: क्त्वा (absolutive/gerund), परस्मैपद-भावार्थ (gerundial)

• एतान्: these
• एतान्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: एतद् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• आततायिनः: aggressors, felons
• आततायिनः: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: आततायिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

Speaker

अजुन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Arjuna
• Janārdana (Kṛṣṇa)
• Dhṛtarāṣṭra
• Dhārtarāṣṭras (Kauravas)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Arjuna frames the act of killing the Kauravas as ethically corrosive: even if they are labeled aggressors (ātatāyinaḥ), he fears the outcome will be inner stain (pāpa) rather than legitimate joy or righteousness, highlighting the tension between duty and conscience.

What is happening in the narrative?

On the battlefield, Arjuna addresses Kṛṣṇa (Janārdana) and questions the value of victory purchased through the death of Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s sons, expressing that such killing would bring no true satisfaction and would instead burden the victors with sin.