Mahabharata · 1.195.11–12
॥
Devanāgarī
यावत् कीर्तिर् मनुष्यस्य न प्रणश्यति कौरव ॥
तावज् जीवति गान्धारे नष्टकीर्तिस् तु नश्यति ॥
तम् इमं समुपातिष्ठ धर्मं कुरुकुलोचितम् ॥
अनुरूपं महाबाहो पूर्वेषाम् आत्मनः कुरु ॥
Transliteration (IAST)
yāvat kīrtir manuṣyasya na praṇaśyati kaurava ||
tāvaj jīvati gāndhāre naṣṭakīrtis tu naśyati ||
tam imaṃ samupātiṣṭha dharmaṃ kurukulocitam ||
anurūpaṃ mahābāho pūrveṣām ātmanaḥ kuru ||
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
यावत् कीर्तिः मनुष्यस्य न प्रणश्यति कौरवyāvat kīrtiḥ manuṣyasya na praṇaśyati kauravaAs long as a man's fame has not perished, O Kaurava,
तावत् जीवति गान्धारे नष्टकीर्तिः तु नश्यतिtāvat jīvati gāndhāre naṣṭakīrtiḥ tu naśyatiso long does he live, O Gandhara-born; but with fame lost, he perishes;
तम् इमं समुपातिष्ठ धर्मं कुरुकुलोचितम्tam imaṃ samupātiṣṭha dharmaṃ kurukulocitamtake up, then, this dharma befitting the Kuru lineage,
अनुरूपं महाबाहो पूर्वेषाम् आत्मनः कुरुanurūpaṃ mahābāho pūrveṣām ātmanaḥ kurudo for yourself what is in keeping with your forefathers, O mighty-armed one;
कीर्तिर्kīrtiroriginal form "kīrtir", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
तावज्tāvajoriginal form "tāvaj", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
नष्टकीर्तिस्naṣṭakīrtisoriginal form "naṣṭakīrtis", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
Translation
'As long as a man's fame has not perished, O Kaurava, so long does he live; but with his fame lost, he perishes. Take up, then, this dharma befitting the Kuru lineage; do for yourself what is in keeping with your forefathers, O mighty-armed one.'
Version
9fee7ffd8267 · published Jul 12, 2026, 5:54:01 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
Here honor is equated with life itself. The saying is significant: with fame a man is alive, without it he is dead; a good memory is true immortality. Herein lies a call to hold to the family dharma bequeathed by the ancestors: faithfulness to the fathers' path preserves both honor and soul. Thus the scripture shows the bond between honor and dharma; and Bhishma calls on Duryodhana to be worthy of his lineage.