Shloka 31

Devanagari script

हस्तसंस्पर्शमापन्नान्‌ परानप्यथवा स्वकान्‌

Transliteration

hastasaṁsparśam āpannān parān apy athavā svakān

Translation

हस्तसंस्पर्शमापन्नान् परानप्यथवा स्वकान् । यथासन्नं तदा सर्वान् निघ्नन्ति स्म निरन्तरम् ॥

Word by Word

• हस्तसंस्पर्शम्: touch/contact of the hand
• हस्तसंस्पर्शम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: हस्तसंस्पर्श
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• आपन्नान्: having reached; having come into (contact)
• आपन्नान्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आपन्न
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• परान्: others; enemies
• परान्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पर
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• अपि: also; even
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि

• अथवा: or else
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथवा

• स्वकान्: one's own (people)
• स्वकान्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्वक
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya

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.