Mahabharata · 1.171.5–6
॥
Devanāgarī
अश्रौषम् अहम् ऊरुस्थो गर्भशय्यागतस् तदा ॥
आरावं मातृवर्गस्य भृगूणां क्षत्रियैर् वधे ॥
सामरैर् हि यदा लोकैर् भृगूणां क्षत्रियाधमैः ॥
आगर्भोत्सादनं क्षान्तं तदा मां मन्युर् आविषत् ॥
Transliteration (IAST)
aśrauṣam aham ūrustho garbhaśayyāgatas tadā ||
ārāvaṃ mātṛvargasya bhṛgūṇāṃ kṣatriyair vadhe ||
sāmarair hi yadā lokair bhṛgūṇāṃ kṣatriyādhamaiḥ ||
āgarbhotsādanaṃ kṣāntaṃ tadā māṃ manyur āviṣat ||
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
अश्रौषम् अहम् ऊरुस्थो गर्भशय्यागतः तदाaśrauṣam aham ūrustho garbhaśayyāgataḥ tadāI heard, while dwelling in the thigh, on the bed of the embryo, then
आरावं मातृवर्गस्य भृगूणां क्षत्रियैः वधेārāvaṃ mātṛvargasya bhṛgūṇāṃ kṣatriyaiḥ vadhethe wailing of the host of mothers at the slaying of the Bhrigus by the kshatriyas;
सामरैः हि यदा लोकैः भृगूणां क्षत्रियाधमैःsāmaraiḥ hi yadā lokaiḥ bhṛgūṇāṃ kṣatriyādhamaiḥwhen the worlds together with the gods [permitted] by the base kshatriyas
आगर्भोत्सादनं क्षान्तं तदा मां मन्युः आविषत्āgarbhotsādanaṃ kṣāntaṃ tadā māṃ manyuḥ āviṣatthe extermination of the Bhrigus down to the unborn, then anger seized me;
गर्भशय्यागतस्garbhaśayyāgatasoriginal form "garbhaśayyāgatas", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
क्षत्रियैर्kṣatriyairoriginal form "kṣatriyair", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
सामरैर्sāmarairoriginal form "sāmarair", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
लोकैर्lokairoriginal form "lokair", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
मन्युर्manyuroriginal form "manyur", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
Translation
"I heard, while dwelling in the thigh, on the bed of the embryo, the wailing of the host of mothers at the slaying of the Bhrigus by the kshatriyas. When the worlds together with the gods permitted the base kshatriyas to exterminate the Bhrigus down to the unborn, then anger seized me."
Version
27db951e4eb6 · published Jul 12, 2026, 5:37:22 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
Here Aurva points to the source of his anger -- an evil deed permitted by the world. Telling is his charge not only against the killers but against "the worlds together with the gods" who permitted it: he holds indifference to evil as blameworthy as the evil itself. Thus indifference to a crime is declared to be itself complicity: whoever silently watches the slaughter of the innocent shares the guilt. So the scripture shows the gravity of inaction before evil; and Aurva's anger turns not only upon the killers but upon the indifferent world.