Shloka 5

Nakula’s Adaptive Counsel to Kṛṣṇa in the Kuru Assembly (उद्योगपर्व, अध्याय ७८)

Devanagari script

अहं हि तत्‌ करिष्यामि परं पुरुषकारत:

Transliteration

ahaṃ hi tat kariṣyāmi paraṃ puruṣakārataḥ

Translation

अहं हि तत् करिष्यामि परं पुरुषकारतः॥

Word by Word

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद्
• Form: —, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• हि: indeed/for
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि

• तत्: that (thing)
• तत्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद्
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• करिष्यामि: I will do
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ
• Form: लृट् (भविष्यत्काल), परस्मैपद, उत्तम, एकवचन

• परम्: only/indeed; entirely
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पर

• पुरुषकारतः: from (my) own effort/manly exertion
• पुरुषकारतः: Apadana
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुरुषकार
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी, एकवचन

Speaker

अर्जुन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Arjuna

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

One should commit to righteous action with full personal exertion (puruṣakāra), while recognizing that one’s capacity has limits; ethical responsibility lies in sincere effort rather than guaranteed outcomes.

What is happening in the narrative?

Arjuna responds to a request or proposed course of action, declaring his readiness to carry it out, but qualifying his promise as being within the bounds of what human effort can achieve.