Shloka 29
Devanagari script
कि नु नो विद्यते कृत्यं धनेन धनलिप्सया
Transliteration
ki nu no vidyate kṛtyaṃ dhanena dhanalipsayā
Translation
Duryodhana said: “What duty of ours remains unfulfilled—driven as we are by wealth and the craving for wealth?”
Word by Word
किम्what
किम्:
Karma
TypePronoun
Rootकिम्
Formneuter, nominative/accusative, singular
नुindeed/then (interrogative emphasis)
नु:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootनु
नःto us/for us (or: of us)
नः:
Sampradana
TypePronoun
Rootअस्मद्
Formgenitive/dative, plural
विद्यतेexists/is found
विद्यते:
TypeVerb
Rootविद् (विद्य्) / √विद् (सत्तायाम्) (विद्यते = 'exists')
Formpresent, 3rd, singular, ātmanepada
कृत्यम्duty/task (something to be done)
कृत्यम्:
Karta
TypeNoun
Rootकृत्य
Formneuter, nominative/accusative, singular
धनेनby/with wealth
धनेन:
Karana
TypeNoun
Rootधन
Formneuter, instrumental, singular
धनलिप्सयाby desire for wealth
धनलिप्सया:
Karana
TypeNoun
Rootधन-लिप्सा
Formfeminine, instrumental, singular
Speaker
दुर्योधन उवाच
Characters & Entities
D
DuryodhanaCharacter 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 line exposes how craving for wealth can distort one’s sense of duty: when actions are driven by dhanalipsā (covetousness), ‘kṛtya’ (right obligation) is redefined to serve acquisition rather than dharma.
In the tense context of the Drona Parva, Duryodhana speaks in a provocative, self-justifying tone, framing the situation as if no further obligation remains except what is propelled by wealth and the hunger for it—revealing the mindset fueling continued conflict.