Apte Dictionary

V. S. Apte, The Practical Sanskrit–English Dictionary. Look up any word of the Gita in Devanagari, IAST or Harvard-Kyoto, or browse the headwords letter by letter.

Entry कथम्

कथम्kathamhow being.
1. how being.
2. of what nature or kind (Often times used by commentators).
Derived forms and compounds
- -रूप Adjective of what shape.
- -वीर्य Adjective of what power; Rām.3.
- कथम् katham, Indeclinable
  
  किम्-प्रकारार्थे थमु कादेशश्च
  
  How, in what way, in what manner, whence; कथं मारात्मके त्वयि विश्वासः H.1; अथ स वैद्यः कथम् Mu.2 'well, how did the physician fare'; सानुबन्धाः कथं न स्युः संपदो मे निरापदः R.1.64,3.44; कथमात्मानं निवेदयामि कथं वाऽऽत्मापहारं करोमि Ś.1 (where the speaker is doubtful as to the propriety of what he says).
  
  Oh what indeed ! (expressing surprise); कथं मामेवोद्दिशति Ś.6.
  
  It is often connected with the particles इव, नाम, नु, वा, or स्वित् in the sense of, 'how indeed', 'how possibly', 'I should like to know', (where the question is generalized); कथं वा गम्यते Ubbayapada (Parasmaipada and Atmanepada)3; कथं नामैतत् Ubbayapada (Parasmaipada and Atmanepada)6.
  
  When connected with the particles चित्, चन or अपि it means 'in every way', 'on any account', 'somehow', 'with great difficulty', 'with great efforts'; तस्य स्थित्वा कथमपि पुरः Me.3; कथमप्युन्नमितं न चुम्बितं तु Ś.3.24; न लोकवृत्तं वर्तेत वृत्तिहेतोः कथंचन Ms. 4.11,5.143; कथंचिदीशा मनसां बभूवुः Ku.3.34; कथं कथमपि उत्थितः Pt.1; विसृज्य कथमप्युमाम् Ku.6.3; Me.22; Amaru.12,39,5,73; Pt.1.
  
  Scarcely, hardly; कथमपि भुवनेऽस्मिंस्तादृशाः संभवन्ति Māl.2.9.
- -कथिकः an inquisitive person.
- -कारम् Indeclinable in what manner, how; कथंकारमनालम्बा कीर्तिर्द्यामधिरोहति Śi.2.52; कथंकारं भुङ्क्ते Sk; Name17.126. सोऽहंकारं कथंकारं न करिष्यति मय्यरौ Śiva. B.15.17.
- -प्रमाण Adjective of what measure.
- -भावः what state.
- -भूत Adjective
In the Gita1·36 1·38 2·4 2·21 4·4 8·2 10·17 14·21

स्वजनं हि कथं हत्वा सुखिनः स्याम माधव ॥

svajanaṁ hi kathaṁ hatvā sukhinaḥ syāma mādhava. — Sin will take hold of us in slaying them. though they are the aggressors. So it is not fit that we kill the sons of Dhritarashtra, our kinsmen; indeed… 1·36
- कथम्kathamadverb indeclinable (how).
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Part 3 of 20 कण्डूति – कन्युषम्All parts