Mahabharata · 1.149.6–7
॥
Devanāgarī
आत्मनस् तु मया श्रेयो बोद्धव्यम् इति रोचये ॥
ब्रह्मवध्यात्मवध्या वा श्रेय आत्मवधो मम ॥
ब्रह्मवध्या परं पापं निष्कृतिर् नात्र विद्यते ॥
अबुद्धिपूर्वं कृत्वापि श्रेय आत्मवधो मम ॥
Transliteration (IAST)
ātmanas tu mayā śreyo boddhavyam iti rocaye ||
brahmavadhyātmavadhyā vā śreya ātmavadho mama ||
brahmavadhyā paraṃ pāpaṃ niṣkṛtir nātra vidyate ||
abuddhipūrvaṃ kṛtvāpi śreya ātmavadho mama ||
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
आत्मनः तु मया श्रेयः बोद्धव्यम् इति रोचयेātmanaḥ tu mayā śreyaḥ boddhavyam iti rocaye«I think that I must discern my own [true] good:
ब्रह्मवध्या आत्मवध्या वा श्रेयः आत्मवधः ममbrahmavadhyā ātmavadhyā vā śreyaḥ ātmavadhaḥ mamaof the [two] — the killing of a brahmin or the killing of oneself — better for me is the killing of oneself;
ब्रह्मवध्या परं पापं निष्कृतिः न अत्र विद्यतेbrahmavadhyā paraṃ pāpaṃ niṣkṛtiḥ na atra vidyatethe killing of a brahmin is the highest sin, for which there is no atonement;
अबुद्धिपूर्वं कृत्वा अपि श्रेयः आत्मवधः ममabuddhipūrvaṃ kṛtvā api śreyaḥ ātmavadhaḥ mama[but] even done unintentionally, the killing of oneself is better for me;
आत्मनस्ātmanasoriginal form «ātmanas», added to complete the word-by-word coverage
श्रेयोśreyooriginal form «śreyo», added to complete the word-by-word coverage
ब्रह्मवध्यात्मवध्याbrahmavadhyātmavadhyāoriginal form «brahmavadhyātmavadhyā», added to complete the word-by-word coverage
श्रेयśreyaoriginal form «śreya», added to complete the word-by-word coverage
आत्मवधोātmavadhooriginal form «ātmavadho», added to complete the word-by-word coverage
निष्कृतिर्niṣkṛtiroriginal form «niṣkṛtir», added to complete the word-by-word coverage
नात्रnātraoriginal form «nātra», added to complete the word-by-word coverage
कृत्वापिkṛtvāpioriginal form «kṛtvāpi», added to complete the word-by-word coverage
श्रेयśreyaoriginal form «śreya», added to complete the word-by-word coverage
आत्मवधोātmavadhooriginal form «ātmavadho», added to complete the word-by-word coverage
Translation
«I think that I must discern my own true good: of the killing of a brahmin and the killing of oneself, better for me is the killing of oneself. The killing of a brahmin is the highest sin, for which there is no atonement; and even done unintentionally, the killing of oneself is better for me.»
Version
553a3c373a1d · published Jul 12, 2026, 5:09:57 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
Here the brahmin weighs sins and chooses the lesser at the cost of himself. It is telling that he holds the death of the brahmin-guest to be a greater evil than his own death: some deeds are so grave that it is better to perish than to commit them. Here is a hierarchy of transgressions: not all evil is equal, and violence against the holy and the defenseless is among the gravest. Telling, too, is that he does not excuse by self-love even an unwilling complicity in the guest's death. Thus the scripture reveals a conscience that places purity of soul above preservation of the body: for the righteous there is something dearer than life — being unstained before dharma.