SanskritIASTMeaning
शमम् एव परम् मन्येśamam eva param manyepeace [restraint] I consider supreme,
न तु मोक्षात् भवेत् शमःna tu mokṣāt bhavet śamaḥbut peace does not [come] from renunciation [alone];
आरम्भे पारमेष्ठ्यम् तुārambhe pārameṣṭhyam tu[and] in [a mere] undertaking, supremacy
न प्राप्यम् इति मे मतिःna prāpyam iti me matiḥis not attained — [such] is my opinion;
एवम् एव अभिजानन्तिevam eva abhijānantithus indeed do understand
कुले जाताः मनस्विनःkule jātāḥ manasvinaḥthe wise, born in [a good] lineage;
कः चित् कदा चित् एतेषाम्kaḥ cit kadā cit eteṣāmwould any one of them, ever,
भवेत् श्रेष्ठः जनार्दनbhavet śreṣṭhaḥ janārdanabecome the best, o Janardana;
परंparaṃoriginal form «paraṃ», added to complete the word-by-word coverage
मोक्षाद्mokṣādoriginal form «mokṣād», added to complete the word-by-word coverage
भवेच्bhavecoriginal form «bhavec», added to complete the word-by-word coverage
छमःchamaḥoriginal form «chamaḥ», added to complete the word-by-word coverage
पारमेष्ठ्यंpārameṣṭhyaṃoriginal form «pārameṣṭhyaṃ», added to complete the word-by-word coverage
एवाभिजानन्तिevābhijānantioriginal form «evābhijānanti», added to complete the word-by-word coverage
जाताjātāoriginal form «jātā», added to complete the word-by-word coverage
कश्kaśoriginal form «kaś», added to complete the word-by-word coverage
चिद्cidoriginal form «cid», added to complete the word-by-word coverage
एतेषांeteṣāṃoriginal form «eteṣāṃ», added to complete the word-by-word coverage
भवेच्bhavecoriginal form «bhavec», added to complete the word-by-word coverage
छ्रेष्ठोchreṣṭhooriginal form «chreṣṭho», added to complete the word-by-word coverage
Here the cautious soul of Yudhishthira is revealed: he values peace above glory and fears the cost of any undertaking. It is significant that the righteous man delays not from timidity but from love of peace: he does not rush toward supremacy, dreading bloodshed. Thus the scripture reveals peaceableness as a virtue of the king; and further a different, active voice sounds — that of Bhima.