Shloka 48
नारायणास्त्र-शमनं द्रौणि-प्रहारश्च
Pacification of the Nārāyaṇāstra and Drauni’s Renewed Assault
Devanagari script
अवधीत् समरे पुत्र पिता भरतसत्तम
Transliteration
avadhīt samare putraḥ pitā bharatasattama
Translation
சஞ்சயன் கூறினான்—பரதசிறந்தவனே! அந்தக் கொடியப் போரில் மகன் தந்தையை வதைத்தான்; அது தர்மத்தின் தலைகீழாக்கம்; போர்மயக்கத்தில் உறவினரே உறவினரை அழிக்கத் தொடங்கினர்.
Word by Word
अवधीत्killed, slew
अवधीत्:
TypeVerb
Rootवध्
Formलुङ् (Aorist), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथम, एकवचनम्
समरेin battle
समरे:
Adhikarana
TypeNoun
Rootसमर
Formपुंलिङ्गः, सप्तमी, एकवचनम्
पुत्रम्the son
पुत्रम्:
Karma
TypeNoun
Rootपुत्र
Formपुंलिङ्गः, द्वितीया, एकवचनम्
पिताthe father
पिता:
Karta
TypeNoun
Rootपितृ
Formपुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्
भरतसत्तमO best of the Bharatas
भरतसत्तम:
TypeNoun
Rootभरतसत्तम
Formपुंलिङ्गः, सम्बोधन, एकवचनम्
Speaker
संजय उवाच
Characters & Entities
S
SañjayaD
Dhṛtarāṣṭra (implied by the address 'bharatasattama')S
son (unnamed)F
father (unnamed)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 verse highlights the moral collapse that prolonged war can cause: even the most fundamental bonds—between father and son—can be overturned, warning that violence corrodes dharma and natural human obligations.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that, during the fighting, a son killed his own father—an episode presented as a shocking sign of the battle’s extremity and the breakdown of familial restraint.