Shloka 33

Devanagari script

तमुत्थाप्य ततो राजा परिष्वज्य च पीडितम्‌ | मूर्थ््युपाच्राय चैवैनमिदं पुनरुवाच ह,तत्पश्चात्‌ राजाने मन-ही-मन पीड़ाका अनुभव करनेवाले अर्जुनको उठाकर छातीसे लगा लिया और उनका मस्तक सूँघकर पुन: उनसे इस प्रकार कहा--

Transliteration

tam utthāpya tato rājā pariṣvajya ca pīḍitam | mūrdhny upāghrāya caivainam idaṃ punar uvāca ha ||

Translation

สัญชัยกล่าวว่า “แล้วพระราชาทรงพยุงเขาขึ้น กอดผู้ทุกข์ระทมไว้แนบพระอุระ และทรงดมกระหม่อมด้วยความเอ็นดู ก่อนตรัสแก่เขาอีกครั้งดังนี้”

Word by Word

तम्him

उत्थाप्यhaving raised (him)

ततःthen/from there

राजाthe king

परिष्वज्यhaving embraced

चand

पीडितम्afflicted/distressed

मूर्ध्निon the head

उपाघ्रायhaving smelled (sniffed)

चand

एवindeed/just

एनम्this him

इदम्this (speech/words)

पुनःagain

उवाचsaid

हindeed (narrative particle)

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

स

संजय (Sañjaya)

र

राजा (the king—contextually Dhṛtarāṣṭra)

अ

अर्जुन (Arjuna—per Gita Press Hindi gloss)

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

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights a human and ethical tension: even in a war driven by ambition and adharma, natural compassion and familial attachment persist. Such tenderness can be virtuous as care, yet it can also signal partiality and emotional entanglement that cloud righteous judgment.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya narrates that the king lifts up the distressed person, embraces him, and smells his head—an intimate, paternal gesture—before speaking again. It sets the emotional tone for the king’s next words and shows the gravity of the distress being discussed.