Shloka 52
Devanagari script
पितृपुत्रवधं प्राप्प पुमान् कः परिपालयेत्
Transliteration
pitṛputravadhaṁ prāpya pumān kaḥ paripālayet
Translation
Bhīmasena said: “After one has come to the killing of a father and a son, what man could still claim to be upholding righteousness or restraint?”
Word by Word
पितृपुत्रवधम्the killing of father and son
पितृपुत्रवधम्:
Karma
TypeNoun
Rootपितृ + पुत्र + वध
FormMasculine, Accusative, Singular
प्राप्यhaving obtained/after encountering
प्राप्य:
TypeVerb
Rootप्र + आप्
FormAbsolutive (Gerund), Parasmaipada (usage-neutral here)
पुमान्a man
पुमान्:
Karta
TypeNoun
Rootपुमांस्
FormMasculine, Nominative, Singular
कःwho?
कः:
Karta
TypePronoun
Rootकिम्
FormMasculine, Nominative, Singular
परिपालयेत्could/should protect, maintain
परिपालयेत्:
TypeVerb
Rootपरि + पाल्
FormOptative (Vidhi-lin), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada
Speaker
भीमसेन उवाच
Characters & Entities
B
BhīmasenaCharacter 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 frames a moral challenge: once someone has crossed the extreme boundary of killing both father and son, it becomes difficult to speak of preserving dharma or self-restraint; it highlights how certain acts rupture ethical legitimacy.
In the heat of the Drona Parva’s violence, Bhīma voices indignation and condemnation, pointing to the enormity of a deed described as the slaying of both father and son, and questions how any person could still claim to uphold proper conduct.