Mahabharata · 1.147.22–23
॥
Devanāgarī
ततः स तृणम् आदाय प्रहृष्टः पुनर् अब्रवीत् ॥
अनेन तं हनिष्यामि राक्षसं पुरुषादकम् ॥
तथापि तेषां दुःखेन परीतानां निशम्य तत् ॥
बालस्य वाक्यम् अव्यक्तं हर्षः समभवन् महान् ॥
Transliteration (IAST)
tataḥ sa tṛṇam ādāya prahṛṣṭaḥ punar abravīt ||
anena taṃ haniṣyāmi rākṣasaṃ puruṣādakam ||
tathāpi teṣāṃ duḥkhena parītānāṃ niśamya tat ||
bālasya vākyam avyaktaṃ harṣaḥ samabhavan mahān ||
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
ततः सः तृणम् आदाय प्रहृष्टः पुनः अब्रवीत्tataḥ saḥ tṛṇam ādāya prahṛṣṭaḥ punaḥ abravītthen, taking a blade of grass, delighted, he said further:
अनेन तं हनिष्यामि राक्षसं पुरुषादकम्anena taṃ haniṣyāmi rākṣasaṃ puruṣādakam"with this I shall kill that man-eating rakshasa!"
तथा अपि तेषां दुःखेन परीतानां निशम्य तत्tathā api teṣāṃ duḥkhena parītānāṃ niśamya tatand although they were overcome with grief, on hearing that
बालस्य वाक्यम् अव्यक्तं हर्षः समभवत् महान्bālasya vākyam avyaktaṃ harṣaḥ samabhavat mahānunintelligible word of the child, great joy arose [in them];
सsaoriginal form "sa", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
पुनर्punaroriginal form "punar", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
तथापिtathāpioriginal form "tathāpi", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
समभवन्samabhavanoriginal form "samabhavan", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
Translation
"Then, taking a blade of grass, delighted, the child said further: 'With this I shall kill that man-eating rakshasa!' And although they were overcome with grief, on hearing the child's unintelligible word, they were filled with great joy."
Version
669a55aac0f2 · published Jul 12, 2026, 5:09:57 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
Here an infant's boasting with a blade of grass wondrously dispels the gloom. It is striking that the child's powerless threat — 'with this I shall kill the man-eater' — gives rise to 'great joy' in the grieving: innocent courage, however helpless, warms hearts with hope. Hope, as this moment reveals, often comes not from strength but from purity: the child cannot slay the rakshasa, but his fearlessness foretells that a deliverer is near. There is also a hidden omen here: the boast of victory over the man-eater will come true — but by the hand of Bhima. Thus the verse shows that even a small, pure word can turn weeping into joy; and the infant's babble becomes a herald of the salvation to come.