Mahabharata · 1.224.2–3
॥
Devanāgarī
स तप्यमानः पुत्रार्थे लपिताम् इदम् अब्रवीत् ॥
कथं न्व् अशक्ताः प्लवने लपिते मम पुत्रकाः ॥
वर्धमाने हुतवहे वाते शीघ्रं प्रवायति ॥
असमर्था विमोक्षाय भविष्यन्ति ममात्मजाः ॥
Transliteration (IAST)
sa tapyamānaḥ putrārthe lapitām idam abravīt ||
kathaṃ nv aśaktāḥ plavane lapite mama putrakāḥ ||
vardhamāne hutavahe vāte śīghraṃ pravāyati ||
asamarthā vimokṣāya bhaviṣyanti mamātmajāḥ ||
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
सः तप्यमानः पुत्रार्थे लपिताम् इदम् अब्रवीत्saḥ tapyamānaḥ putrārthe lapitām idam abravītHe, tormented for his sons' sake, said this to Lapita:
कथं नु अशक्ताः प्लवने लपिते मम पुत्रकाःkathaṃ nu aśaktāḥ plavane lapite mama putrakāḥ“How, O Lapita, being unable to fly, will my little sons be saved?
वर्धमाने हुतवहे वाते शीघ्रं प्रवायतिvardhamāne hutavahe vāte śīghraṃ pravāyatiwhen the fire grows and the wind fans it swiftly,
असमर्थाः विमोक्षाय भविष्यन्ति मम आत्मजाःasamarthāḥ vimokṣāya bhaviṣyanti mama ātmajāḥmy sons will be unable to escape.”
सsaoriginal form "sa", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
न्व्nvoriginal form "nv", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
असमर्थाasamarthāoriginal form "asamarthā", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
ममात्मजाःmamātmajāḥoriginal form "mamātmajāḥ", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
Translation
He, tormented for his sons' sake, said this to Lapita: “How, O Lapita, being unable to fly, will my little sons be saved? When the fire grows and the wind fans it swiftly, my sons will be unable to escape.”
Version
a7ef6516450d · published Jul 12, 2026, 6:20:36 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
Here a father counts aloud the perils of his helpless children. It is telling that he sees both their inability to fly and the fire's power: one who loves weighs every danger to the weak. In this is compassion for the defenseless. Thus the scripture reveals a spoken-aloud anxiety; and it will pass into a roll-call of his sons' names.