Mahabharata 1.201.1–3

Rājyalābha-parva (The Boon to Sunda and Upasunda)1.201.1–3

1554 / 15823

Mahabharata · 1.201.1–3

॥

Devanāgarī

नारद उवाच
शृणु मे विस्तरेणेमम् इतिहासं पुरातनम् ॥
भ्रातृभीः सहितः पार्थ यथावृत्तं युधिष्ठिर ॥
महासुरस्यान्ववाये हिरण्यकशिपोः पुरा ॥
निकुम्भो नाम दैत्येन्द्रस् तेजस्वी बलवान् अभूत् ॥
तस्य पुत्रौ महावीर्यौ जातौ भीमपराक्रमौ ॥
सहान्योन्येन भुञ्जाते विनान्योन्यं न गच्छतः ॥

Transliteration (IAST)

nārada uvāca
śṛṇu me vistareṇemam itihāsaṃ purātanam ||
bhrātṛbhīḥ sahitaḥ pārtha yathāvṛttaṃ yudhiṣṭhira ||
mahāsurasyānvavāye hiraṇyakaśipoḥ purā ||
nikumbho nāma daityendras tejasvī balavān abhūt ||
tasya putrau mahāvīryau jātau bhīmaparākramau ||
sahānyonyena bhuñjāte vinānyonyaṃ na gacchataḥ ||

Word-by-word

SanskritIASTMeaning

शृणु मे विस्तरेण इमम् इतिहासं पुरातनम्śṛṇu me vistareṇa imam itihāsaṃ purātanamlisten from me in detail to this ancient tale,

भ्रातृभीः सहितः पार्थ यथावृत्तं युधिष्ठिरbhrātṛbhīḥ sahitaḥ pārtha yathāvṛttaṃ yudhiṣṭhiratogether with your brothers, O Partha Yudhishthira, as it happened;

महासुरस्य अन्ववाये हिरण्यकशिपोः पुराmahāsurasya anvavāye hiraṇyakaśipoḥ purāin the line of the great asura Hiranyakashipu, once

निकुम्भः नाम दैत्येन्द्रः तेजस्वी बलवान् अभूत्nikumbhaḥ nāma daityendraḥ tejasvī balavān abhūtthere was a king of the daityas named Nikumbha, radiant, mighty;

तस्य पुत्रौ महावीर्यौ जातौ भीमपराक्रमौtasya putrau mahāvīryau jātau bhīmaparākramauto him were born two sons, greatly valorous, of fearsome courage;

सह अन्योन्येन भुञ्जाते विना अन्योन्यं न गच्छतःsaha anyonyena bhuñjāte vinā anyonyaṃ na gacchataḥtogether they took food with one another, and without each other they went nowhere;

नारदnāradaoriginal form "nārada", added to complete the word-by-word coverage

विस्तरेणेमम्vistareṇemamoriginal form "vistareṇemam", added to complete the word-by-word coverage

महासुरस्यान्ववायेmahāsurasyānvavāyeoriginal form "mahāsurasyānvavāye", added to complete the word-by-word coverage

निकुम्भोnikumbhooriginal form "nikumbho", added to complete the word-by-word coverage

दैत्येन्द्रस्daityendrasoriginal form "daityendras", added to complete the word-by-word coverage

सहान्योन्येनsahānyonyenaoriginal form "sahānyonyena", added to complete the word-by-word coverage

विनान्योन्यंvinānyonyaṃoriginal form "vinānyonyaṃ", added to complete the word-by-word coverage

Translation

Narada said: "Listen in detail to this ancient tale, as it happened; in the line of the great asura Hiranyakashipu there once was a king of the daityas, Nikumbha, radiant and mighty; two sons were born to him, greatly valorous, of fearsome courage; together they took their food, and without each other they went nowhere."

Commentary

Here brotherly inseparability shows itself as an ideal -- before its coming collapse. It is telling that the brothers "went nowhere without each other": their unity was perfect, and its loss will be all the more bitter for it. Here appears the truth that the tale of the strongest friendship is placed at the beginning so that its fall will resound the harder. Thus the scripture presents a model of union; and the very height of that union prepares the lesson of the fragility of even the unbreakable.

Version

5dcaac5cd9f6 · published Jul 12, 2026, 6:01:16 PM UTC

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