Mahabharata · 2.15.7–8
॥
Devanāgarī
धनुर् अस्त्रं शरा वीर्यं पक्षो भूमिर् यशो बलम् ॥
प्राप्तम् एतन् मया राजन् दुष्प्रापं यद् अभीप्सितम् ॥
कुले जन्म प्रशंसन्ति वैद्याः साधु सुनिष्ठिताः ॥
बलेन सदृशं नास्ति वीर्यं तु मम रोचते ॥
Transliteration (IAST)
dhanur astraṃ śarā vīryaṃ pakṣo bhūmir yaśo balam ||
prāptam etan mayā rājan duṣprāpaṃ yad abhīpsitam ||
kule janma praśaṃsanti vaidyāḥ sādhu suniṣṭhitāḥ ||
balena sadṛśaṃ nāsti vīryaṃ tu mama rocate ||
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
धनुः अस्त्रम् शराः वीर्यम्dhanuḥ astram śarāḥ vīryambow, weapon, arrows, valor,
पक्षः भूमिः यशः बलम्pakṣaḥ bhūmiḥ yaśaḥ balamallies, land, fame, strength—
प्राप्तम् एतत् मया राजन्prāptam etat mayā rājanall this I have obtained, O king,
दुष्प्रापम् यत् अभीप्सितम्duṣprāpam yat abhīpsitam[that] hard-won thing which was desired;
कुले जन्म प्रशंसन्तिkule janma praśaṃsantibirth in a [noble] family is praised
वैद्याः साधु सु-निष्ठिताःvaidyāḥ sādhu su-niṣṭhitāḥby the knowing, the good, the well-versed,
बलेन सदृशम् न अस्तिbalena sadṛśam na astibut nothing equals strength;
वीर्यम् तु मम रोचतेvīryam tu mama rocatevalor is what pleases me;
धनुर्dhanuroriginal form "dhanur", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
अस्त्रंastraṃoriginal form "astraṃ", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
शराśarāoriginal form "śarā", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
वीर्यंvīryaṃoriginal form "vīryaṃ", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
पक्षोpakṣooriginal form "pakṣo", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
भूमिर्bhūmiroriginal form "bhūmir", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
यशोyaśooriginal form "yaśo", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
एतन्etanoriginal form "etan", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
दुष्प्रापंduṣprāpaṃoriginal form "duṣprāpaṃ", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
यद्yadoriginal form "yad", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
सुनिष्ठिताःsuniṣṭhitāḥoriginal form "suniṣṭhitāḥ", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
सदृशंsadṛśaṃoriginal form "sadṛśaṃ", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
नास्तिnāstioriginal form "nāsti", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
वीर्यंvīryaṃoriginal form "vīryaṃ", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
Translation
Arjuna said: "Bow, weapon, arrows, valor, allies, land, fame, strength—all this, hard-won and desired, I have obtained, O king. The knowing—the good, the well-versed—praise birth in a [noble] family; but nothing equals strength, and valor is what pleases me."
Version
e7e80e2948f5 · published Jul 16, 2026, 3:13:23 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
Here Arjuna places valor above lineage. Tellingly, he considers noble birth without active strength insufficient: it is not pedigree but readiness to act that makes a kshatriya. Scripture thus shows that a gift left unused is dead; what follows concerns powerlessness despite every virtue.