Shloka 22

अध्याय ९ — कर्णस्य प्रहारः, योधयुग्मनियोजनम्, शैनेय-कैकेययोर्युद्धविन्यासः

Devanagari script

कच्चिद्‌ विनिहतः सूत पुत्रो दःशासनो मम । कच्चिन्न दीनाचरितं कृतवांस्तात संयुगे

Transliteration

kaccid vinihataḥ sūtaputro daḥśāsano mama | kaccin na dīnācaritaṃ kṛtavāṃs tāta saṃyuge ||

Translation

Dhṛtarāṣṭra berkata: “Wahai Sūta, adakah anakku Duḥśāsana telah terbunuh? Dan, anakku, di medan tempur dia tidak bertindak hina atau pengecut, bukan?”

Word by Word

• कच्चित्: whether? (interrogative particle, expressing anxious inquiry)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कच्चित्

• विनिहतः: slain, killed
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि-नि-हन्
• Form: past passive participle, masculine, nominative, singular

• सूत: charioteer; (here) of a charioteer
• Type: Noun
• Root: सूत
• Form: masculine, nominative, singular

• पुत्रः: son
• पुत्रः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुत्र
• Form: masculine, nominative, singular

• दुःशासनः: Duhshasana
• दुःशासनः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: दुःशासन
• Form: masculine, nominative, singular

• मम: of me, my
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: अस्मद्
• Form: genitive, singular

• कच्चित्: whether? (again, anxious inquiry)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कच्चित्

• न: not
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न

• दीनाचरितम्: a mean/abject act (lit. conduct of the wretched)
• दीनाचरितम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: दीन-आचरित
• Form: neuter, accusative, singular

• कृतवान्: has done, did
• कृतवान्: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ
• Form: past active participle (क्तवतु), masculine, nominative, singular

• तात: dear one; son (vocative address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तात
• Form: masculine, vocative, singular

• संयुगे: in battle
• संयुगे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: संयुग
• Form: masculine, locative, singular

Speaker

धृतराष्ट उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Dhṛtarāṣṭra
• Duḥśāsana

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Even amid grief and attachment, the verse foregrounds the ethical expectation of honorable conduct in war (kṣatriya-dharma): death is feared, but disgraceful or cowardly behavior is treated as a deeper moral failure.

What is happening in the narrative?

Dhṛtarāṣṭra, anxious for news, questions whether Duḥśāsana has been killed and, if so, whether he at least fought without ignoble conduct—revealing both paternal attachment and concern for martial reputation.