Shloka 37

Devanagari script

स सत्यकज्चुकं नाम प्रविष्टेन ततोडनृतम्‌

Transliteration

sa satyakajcukaṁ nāma praviṣṭena tato 'nṛtam

Translation

Arjuna said: “Having entered under the guise of a ‘coat of truth’ (a show of honesty), what followed was in fact untruth.” The line highlights the ethical tension of war: deception can be made to look like righteousness, yet it remains falsehood in substance.

Word by Word

• सः: he
• सः: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• सत्यकज्चुकम्: the 'truth-cloak' (a cloak of truth; name of a garment)
• सत्यकज्चुकम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: सत्यकज्चुक
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• नाम: by name / called
• नाम: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नामन्

• प्रविष्टेन: by/with (one) who had entered; by entering
• प्रविष्टेन: Karana
• Type: Participle
• Root: प्र√विश्
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Instrumental, Singular, Past passive participle (क्त)

• ततः: then / thereafter / from that
• ततः: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः

• अनृतम्: falsehood / untruth
• अनृतम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: अनृत
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

Speaker

अजुन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Arjuna

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse warns that untruth does not become righteous merely by being wrapped in the appearance of truth; ethical evaluation must look beyond outward justification to the actual nature of the act.

What is happening in the narrative?

Arjuna comments on a situation where a claim or strategy is presented as truthful (a ‘cloak of truth’), but its outcome or intent is falsehood—reflecting the strained morality and tactical speech of the battlefield.