Shloka 18
Devanagari script
पित्रा तु मम सावस्था प्राप्ता निर्बन्धुना यथा
Transliteration
pitrā tu mama sāvasthā prāptā nirbandhunā yathā
Translation
Sañjaya said: “By my father, I was brought to such a condition—like one left without kin, constrained and helpless.”
Word by Word
पित्राby (my) father
पित्रा:
Karana
TypeNoun
Rootपितृ
FormMasculine, Instrumental, Singular
तुbut/indeed
तु:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootतु
ममof me / my
मम:
Sambandha
TypePronoun
Rootअस्मद्
FormGenitive, Singular
साthat (same)
सा:
Karta
TypePronoun
Rootतद्
FormFeminine, Nominative, Singular
अवस्थाcondition/state
अवस्था:
Karta
TypeNoun
Rootअवस्था
FormFeminine, Nominative, Singular
प्राप्ताattained/obtained (has come to)
प्राप्ता:
TypeVerb
Rootप्र + आप्
FormFeminine, Nominative, Singular, क्त (past passive participle)
निर्बन्धुनाby one without kinsmen; by a friendless person
निर्बन्धुना:
Karana
TypeAdjective
Rootनिर्बन्धु
FormMasculine, Instrumental, Singular
यथाas/just as
यथा:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootयथा
Speaker
संजय उवाच
Characters & Entities
S
SañjayaF
father (pitṛ)Character 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 highlights the ethical weight of familial actions: a father’s decisions can determine a child’s security or isolation, and the verse frames suffering as a social-moral condition—being ‘without kin’ or support—rather than merely physical pain.
Sañjaya speaks in the first person, describing a dire state that has come upon him, comparing it to the plight of someone bereft of relatives or allies. The statement functions as a lament or self-report of helplessness within the broader wartime narrative of the Droṇa Parva.