Shloka 31

Devanagari script

हस्तसंस्पर्शमापन्नान्‌ परानप्यथवा स्वकान्‌

Transliteration

hastasaṁsparśam āpannān parān apy athavā svakān

Translation

ಸಂಜಯನು ಹೇಳಿದನು—ಯಾರು ಕೈಗೆಟುಕುವಷ್ಟು ಸಮೀಪಕ್ಕೆ ಬಂದರೋ, ಅವರು ಶತ್ರುವಾಗಲಿ ಸ್ವಜನರಾಗಲಿ, ನೇರ ಕೈಯುದ್ಧದಲ್ಲಿ ಸಿಕ್ಕ ತಕ್ಷಣ ಭೇದವಿಲ್ಲದೆ ಅವರನ್ನು ಸಂಹರಿಸುತ್ತಿದ್ದರು।

Word by Word

हस्तसंस्पर्शम्touch/contact of the hand

आपन्नान्having reached; having come into (contact)

परान्others; enemies

अपिalso; even

अथवाor else

स्वकान्one's own (people)

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The line highlights the moral peril of war: when combat collapses into hand-to-hand range, discernment and restraint can vanish, and violence may fall indiscriminately on foe and friend alike—an implicit warning about the ethical cost of uncontrolled fury in battle.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes a moment of extremely close fighting in the Kurukṣetra war, where those who come within immediate reach—whether opponents or one’s own side—are caught in the lethal press of combat.