Mahabharata · 1.169.7–8
॥
Devanāgarī
मा तात तात तातेति न ते तातो महामुनिः ॥
रक्षसा भक्षितस् तात तव तातो वनान्तरे ॥
मन्यसे यं तु तातेति नैष तातस् तवानघ ॥
आर्यस् त्व् एष पिता तस्य पितुस् तव महात्मनः ॥
Transliteration (IAST)
mā tāta tāta tāteti na te tāto mahāmuniḥ ||
rakṣasā bhakṣitas tāta tava tāto vanāntare ||
manyase yaṃ tu tāteti naiṣa tātas tavānagha ||
āryas tv eṣa pitā tasya pitus tava mahātmanaḥ ||
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
मा तात तात तात इति न ते तातः महामुनिःmā tāta tāta tāta iti na te tātaḥ mahāmuniḥ'Do not [say] "father, father, father"; this great sage is not your father;
रक्षसा भक्षितः तात तव तातः वनान्तरेrakṣasā bhakṣitaḥ tāta tava tātaḥ vanāntareeaten by a rakshasa, child, was your father in the forest depths;
मन्यसे यं तु तात इति न एषः तातः तव अनघmanyase yaṃ tu tāta iti na eṣaḥ tātaḥ tava anaghathe one whom you think is [your] father is not your father, O blameless one;
आर्यः तु एषः पिता तस्य पितुः तव महात्मनःāryaḥ tu eṣaḥ pitā tasya pituḥ tava mahātmanaḥ[but] this noble one is the father of that great-souled father of yours [= your grandfather]';
तातेतिtātetioriginal form "tāteti", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
तातोtātooriginal form "tāto", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
भक्षितस्bhakṣitasoriginal form "bhakṣitas", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
तातोtātooriginal form "tāto", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
तातेतिtātetioriginal form "tāteti", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
नैषnaiṣaoriginal form "naiṣa", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
तातस्tātasoriginal form "tātas", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
तवानघtavānaghaoriginal form "tavānagha", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
आर्यस्āryasoriginal form "āryas", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
त्व्tvoriginal form "tv", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
एषeṣaoriginal form "eṣa", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
पितुस्pitusoriginal form "pitus", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
Translation
Adrishyanti [said]: 'Do not [say] "father, father, father"; this great sage is not your father. Your father, child, was eaten by a rakshasa in the depths of the forest; the one you think of as father is not your father, O blameless one, but the father of that great-souled father of yours — [your] grandfather.'
Version
01dd81eeb2a0 · published Jul 12, 2026, 5:29:43 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
Here the mother must open the bitter truth to her child. It is telling that Adrishyanti does not leave her son in ignorance, though the truth will cause him pain: the truth about one's lineage and father must be known. Here it is seen that love does not always spare through ignorance; sometimes it is bound to reveal even what is hard. Thus the scripture shows the mother's difficult duty — to name to the child his true, dead father; and this very truth will kindle grief and anger in Parashara.