Bhagavad Gita BG 1.34
Chapter 1, Verse 34 — Meaning, Translation & Explanation
आचार्याः पितरः पुत्रास्तथैव च पितामहाः । मातुलाः श्वशुराः पौत्राः श्यालाः सम्बन्धिनस्तथा ॥ ३४ ॥
ācāryāḥ pitaraḥ putrās tathaiva ca pitāmahāḥ mātulāḥ śvaśurāḥ pautrāḥ śyālāḥ sambandhinaś ca
Meaning
Teachers, fathers, sons, grandfathers, maternal uncles, fathers-in-law, grandsons, brothers-in-law, and other relatives.
Understanding
Arjuna lists his kinsmen a second time — now not as a catalogue of what he saw, but as a list of what he would have to kill. The repetition is emotionally significant; the same verse structure from v26 now carries the weight of loss. Notice 'śyālāḥ' (brothers-in-law) and 'sambandhinaḥ' (relatives by marriage) are added — the web of relationships is even wider than first stated.
Word by Word
| Word | IAST | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| आचार्याः | ācāryāḥ | teachers |
| पितरः | pitaraḥ | fathers / elders |
| पौत्राः | pautrāḥ | grandsons |
| श्यालाः | śyālāḥ | brothers-in-law |
| सम्बन्धिनः | sambandhinaḥ | relatives by marriage / connected ones |
| पुत्राः | putrāḥ | sons |
| तथा एव | tathaiva | likewise / just the same |
| च | ca | and (conjunction) |
| पितामहाः | pitāmahāḥ | grandfathers |
| मातुलाः | mātulāḥ | maternal uncles |
| श्वशुराः | śvaśurāḥ | fathers-in-law |