Shloka 34
Devanagari script
पिता मे निहत: क्षुद्रै: सुनुशंसेन कर्मणा
Transliteration
pitā me nihataḥ kṣudraiḥ sūnuśaṃsena karmaṇā
Translation
सञ्जय उवाच—पिता मे निहतः क्षुद्रैः, सुनुशंसेन कर्मणा।
Word by Word
पिताfather
पिता:
Karta
TypeNoun
Rootपितृ
FormMasculine, Nominative, Singular
मेof me / my
मे:
Adhikarana
TypePronoun
Rootअस्मद्
Form—, Genitive, Singular
निहतःslain / killed
निहतः:
Karta
TypeVerb
Rootनि-हन्
FormMasculine, Nominative, Singular, Past passive participle (क्त)
क्षुद्रैःby the vile / mean (ones)
क्षुद्रैः:
Karana
TypeAdjective
Rootक्षुद्र
FormMasculine, Instrumental, Plural
सुनुशंसेनby Sunuśaṃsa (proper name)
सुनुशंसेन:
Karana
TypeNoun
Rootसुनुशंस
FormMasculine, Instrumental, Singular
कर्मणाby an act / deed
कर्मणा:
Karana
TypeNoun
Rootकर्मन्
FormNeuter, Instrumental, Singular
Speaker
संजय उवाच
Characters & Entities
S
SañjayaS
SūnuśaṃsaS
Sañjaya's father (unnamed in this half-verse)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
The line frames killing in war not merely as an event but as a morally charged action (karma): violence done with cruelty or baseness is condemned, and grief naturally seeks ethical judgment, not just factual reporting.
Sañjaya reports a personal loss: his father has been killed, and he attributes the killing to Sūnuśaṃsa, characterizing the perpetrators as ‘kṣudra’ (base) and the act as a cruel deed.