Mahabharata · 1.206.22–23
॥
Devanāgarī
तव चापि प्रियं कर्तुम् इच्छामि जलचारिणि ॥
अनृतं नोक्तपूर्वं च मया किं चन कर्हि चित् ॥
कथं च नानृतं तत् स्यात् तव चापि प्रियं भवेत् ॥
न च पीड्येत मे धर्मस् तथा कुर्यां भुजंगमे ॥
Transliteration (IAST)
tava cāpi priyaṃ kartum icchāmi jalacāriṇi ||
anṛtaṃ noktapūrvaṃ ca mayā kiṃ cana karhi cit ||
kathaṃ ca nānṛtaṃ tat syāt tava cāpi priyaṃ bhavet ||
na ca pīḍyeta me dharmas tathā kuryāṃ bhujaṃgame ||
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
तव च अपि प्रियं कर्तुम् इच्छामि जलचारिणिtava ca api priyaṃ kartum icchāmi jalacāriṇi"And I wish to please you too, O water-wanderer;
अनृतं न उक्तपूर्वं च मया किं चन कर्हि चित्anṛtaṃ na uktapūrvaṃ ca mayā kiṃ cana karhi cityet no falsehood has ever been spoken by me, none whatsoever;
कथं च न अनृतं तत् स्यात् तव च अपि प्रियं भवेत्kathaṃ ca na anṛtaṃ tat syāt tava ca api priyaṃ bhavethow then [might I act] so that it would not be a falsehood, and yet would please you,
न च पीड्येत मे धर्मः तथा कुर्यां भुजंगमेna ca pīḍyeta me dharmaḥ tathā kuryāṃ bhujaṃgameand my dharma would not suffer -- tell me, O serpent maiden?"
चापिcāpioriginal form "cāpi", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
नोक्तपूर्वंnoktapūrvaṃoriginal form "noktapūrvaṃ", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
नानृतंnānṛtaṃoriginal form "nānṛtaṃ", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
चापिcāpioriginal form "cāpi", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
धर्मस्dharmasoriginal form "dharmas", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
Translation
"And I wish to please you too, O water-wanderer; yet no falsehood has ever been spoken by me, none whatsoever; how then might I act so that it would not be a falsehood, and yet would please you, and my dharma would not suffer -- tell me, O serpent maiden?"
Version
723329bbd5d6 · published Jul 12, 2026, 6:01:16 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
Here compassion and truthfulness seek a common path. It is telling that Arjuna is both merciful toward her and unyielding in truth: he wishes neither to withhold compassion nor to compromise the truth. Here is a model of conscience seeking the path where mercy and dharma meet. Thus the scripture reveals the delicacy of his conscience; and the very framing of his question calls upon Ulupi to point out the righteous way.