Mahabharata · 1.192.27–28
॥
Devanāgarī
सपत्नवृद्धिं यत् तात मन्यसे वृद्धिम् आत्मनः ॥
अभिष्टौषि च यत् क्षत्तुः समीपे द्विपदां वर ॥
अन्यस्मिन् नृप कर्तव्ये त्वम् अन्यत् कुरुषे ऽनघ ॥
तेषां बलविघातो हि कर्तव्यस् तात नित्यशः ॥
Transliteration (IAST)
sapatnavṛddhiṃ yat tāta manyase vṛddhim ātmanaḥ ||
abhiṣṭauṣi ca yat kṣattuḥ samīpe dvipadāṃ vara ||
anyasmin nṛpa kartavye tvam anyat kuruṣe 'nagha ||
teṣāṃ balavighāto hi kartavyas tāta nityaśaḥ ||
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
सपत्नवृद्धिं यत् तात मन्यसे वृद्धिम् आत्मनःsapatnavṛddhiṃ yat tāta manyase vṛddhim ātmanaḥthat which is the rise of your rivals, father, you count as your own rise,
अभिष्टौषि च यत् क्षत्तुः समीपे द्विपदां वरabhiṣṭauṣi ca yat kṣattuḥ samīpe dvipadāṃ varaand [that which] you praise [them] in Kshattri's presence, O best of men;
अन्यस्मिन् नृप कर्तव्ये त्वम् अन्यत् कुरुषे अनघanyasmin nṛpa kartavye tvam anyat kuruṣe anaghawhen one thing is fitting, you do another, O blameless king;
तेषां बलविघातः हि कर्तव्यः तात नित्यशःteṣāṃ balavighātaḥ hi kartavyaḥ tāta nityaśaḥfor the undermining of their strength must be pursued, father, unceasingly;
ऽनघ'naghaoriginal form "'nagha", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
बलविघातोbalavighātooriginal form "balavighāto", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
कर्तव्यस्kartavyasoriginal form "kartavyas", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
Translation
"That which is the rise of your rivals, father, you count as your own rise, and that which you praise them in Kshattri's presence, O best of men; when one thing is fitting, you do another, O blameless king; for the undermining of their strength must be pursued unceasingly."
Version
82d4c87f3cc3 · published Jul 12, 2026, 5:54:01 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
Here envy openly counsels falsehood. It is telling that Duryodhana directly demands that the kinsmen's strength be undermined "unceasingly": malice knows no rest and turns kinship into enmity. Here the nature of hatred is revealed, for which another's prosperity is unbearable. Thus scripture voices the counsel of evil; and the conspiracy against the Pandavas finds its own words.