Mahabharata · 2.12.24–25
॥
Devanāgarī
न हि यज्ञसमारम्भः केवलात्मविपत्तये ॥
भवतीति समाज्ञाय यत्नतः कार्यम् उद्वहन् ॥
स निश्चयार्थं कार्यस्य कृष्णम् एव जनार्दनम् ॥
सर्वलोकात् परं मत्वा जगाम मनसा हरिम् ॥
Transliteration (IAST)
na hi yajñasamārambhaḥ kevalātmavipattaye ||
bhavatīti samājñāya yatnataḥ kāryam udvahan ||
sa niścayārthaṃ kāryasya kṛṣṇam eva janārdanam ||
sarvalokāt paraṃ matvā jagāma manasā harim ||
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
न हि यज्ञ-समारम्भःna hi yajña-samārambhaḥfor the undertaking of a sacrifice
केवल-आत्म-विपत्तयेkevala-ātma-vipattayeis not for one's own ruin alone
भवति इति समाज्ञायbhavati iti samājñāya— thus having understood, carrying on
यत्नतः कार्यम् उद्वहन्yatnataḥ kāryam udvahanthe task with diligence;
सः निश्चय-अर्थम् कार्यस्यsaḥ niścaya-artham kāryasyahe, for the sake of certainty in the task,
कृष्णम् एव जनार्दनम्kṛṣṇam eva janārdanamKrishna, none other than Janardana,
सर्व-लोकात् परम् मत्वाsarva-lokāt param matvādeeming him higher than all the world,
जगाम मनसा हरिम्jagāma manasā harimturned his mind to Hari;
यज्ञसमारम्भःyajñasamārambhaḥoriginal form "yajñasamārambhaḥ", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
केवलात्मविपत्तयेkevalātmavipattayeoriginal form "kevalātmavipattaye", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
भवतीतिbhavatītioriginal form "bhavatīti", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
सsaoriginal form "sa", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
निश्चयार्थंniścayārthaṃoriginal form "niścayārthaṃ", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
सर्वलोकात्sarvalokātoriginal form "sarvalokāt", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
परंparaṃoriginal form "paraṃ", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
Translation
"For the undertaking of a sacrifice does not come about for one's own ruin alone [but bears upon many] — having understood this and carrying on the task with diligence, he, for the sake of certainty in the task, deemed Krishna Janardana higher than all the world and turned his mind to Hari."
Version
21d111258244 · published Jul 16, 2026, 3:13:23 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
Here is the turning thought: for a sure decision the king turns to Krishna as "higher than all the world." It is telling that the summit of his deliberations is crowned not by his own reckoning but by surrender to the Lord: the wisest of men seeks the final word from God. Thus the scripture shows turning to Krishna as the culmination of all counsel; and further it is revealed how Yudhishthira thinks of Him.