Shloka 5
Adhyāya 33: Rauhiṇeya (Balarāma) is welcomed and takes his seat to witness the gadā-engagement
Devanagari script
कथं नाम भवेत् कार्यमस्माभिर्भरतर्षभ
Transliteration
kathaṁ nāma bhavet kāryam asmābhir bharatarṣabha
Translation
Sañjaya said: “O bull among the Bharatas, how indeed should we proceed—what course of action ought to be undertaken by us?”
Word by Word
कथम्how?
कथम्:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootकथम्
FormAvyaya (interrogative adverb)
नामindeed/then (emphasis)
नाम:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootनाम
FormAvyaya (emphatic/particle)
भवेत्would be / should happen
भवेत्:
TypeVerb
Rootभू
FormVidhi-lin (optative), parasmaipada, 3rd person, singular, present-system
कार्यम्the task / what is to be done
कार्यम्:
Karta
TypeNoun
Rootकार्य
FormNeuter, nominative, singular
अस्माभिःby us
अस्माभिः:
Karana
TypePronoun
Rootअस्मद्
FormCommon (pronoun), instrumental, plural
भरतर्षभO bull among the Bharatas (best of the Bharatas)
भरतर्षभ:
TypeNoun
Rootभरतर्षभ
FormMasculine, vocative, singular
Speaker
संजय उवाच
Characters & Entities
S
SañjayaB
Bharatarṣabha (address to Dhṛtarāṣṭra)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 verse highlights prudent deliberation in crisis: before acting, one must ask what is truly ‘kārya’—the duty or necessary action—especially amid moral and political turmoil.
Sañjaya, reporting events to Dhṛtarāṣṭra, frames the situation as requiring immediate counsel and decision, asking what action ‘we’ should take in the unfolding war context.