Mahabharata · 1.139.27–28
॥
Devanāgarī
भीम उवाच
मातरं भ्रातरं ज्येष्ठं कनिष्ठान् अपरान् इमान् ॥
परित्यजेत को न्व् अद्य प्रभवन्न् इव राक्षसि ॥
को हि सुप्तान् इमान् भ्रातॄन् दत्त्वा राक्षसभोजनम् ॥
मातरं च नरो गच्छेत् कामार्त इव मद्विधः ॥
Transliteration (IAST)
bhīma uvāca
mātaraṃ bhrātaraṃ jyeṣṭhaṃ kaniṣṭhān aparān imān ||
parityajeta ko nv adya prabhavann iva rākṣasi ||
ko hi suptān imān bhrātṝn dattvā rākṣasabhojanam ||
mātaraṃ ca naro gacchet kāmārta iva madvidhaḥ ||
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
मातरं भ्रातरं ज्येष्ठं कनिष्ठान् अपरान् इमान्mātaraṃ bhrātaraṃ jyeṣṭhaṃ kaniṣṭhān aparān imān'mother, elder brother, and these younger ones—
परित्यजेत कः नु अद्य प्रभवन् इव राक्षसिparityajeta kaḥ nu adya prabhavan iva rākṣasiwho indeed would now abandon them, being able to protect them, O rakshasi?
कः हि सुप्तान् इमान् भ्रातॄन् दत्त्वा राक्षसभोजनम्kaḥ hi suptān imān bhrātṝn dattvā rākṣasabhojanamfor who, having given these sleeping brothers as food to a rakshasa,
मातरं च नरः गच्छेत् कामार्तः इव मद्विधःmātaraṃ ca naraḥ gacchet kāmārtaḥ iva madvidhaḥand his mother, would go away, like me, as another man tormented by lust?'
भीमbhīmaoriginal form "bhīma", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
कोkooriginal form "ko", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
न्व्nvoriginal form "nv", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
प्रभवन्न्prabhavannoriginal form "prabhavann", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
कोkooriginal form "ko", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
नरोnarooriginal form "naro", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
कामार्तkāmārtaoriginal form "kāmārta", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
Translation
Bhima said: 'Who indeed, being able to protect them, would now abandon his mother, elder brother, and these younger ones, O rakshasi? For who, like me, tormented by lust, would go away, having given these sleeping brothers and mother as food to a rakshasa?'
Version
9d4b2801d15b · published Jul 12, 2026, 5:03:09 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
Here Bhima demonstrates the triumph of duty over lust. Telling is that he rejects not love as such, but betrayal of duty: to leave for the sake of passion, abandoning his defenseless mother and sleeping brothers, is unthinkable to him. Here is fidelity to dharma above desire: a true man does not purchase pleasure at the price of betraying those close to him. Telling is his scorn for one 'tormented by lust' (kāmārta): he does not place himself among those who forget duty for the sake of passion. Here is a model of mastering the senses: even tempted by love and the promise of rescue, Bhima remembers first the defenseless ones entrusted to him. Thus scripture shows that righteous strength is inseparable from faithfulness to duty: Bhima is strong not only in body, but in steadfastness in dharma.