Mahabharata · 2.16.36–37
॥
Devanāgarī
उद्विग्ने सह संमन्त्र्य ते भगिन्यौ तदाबले ॥
सजीवे प्राणिशकले तत्यजाते सुदुःखिते ॥
तयोर् धात्र्यौ सुसंवीते कृत्वा ते गर्भसंप्लवे ॥
निर्गम्यान्तःपुरद्वारात् समुत्सृज्याशु जग्मतुः ॥
Transliteration (IAST)
udvigne saha saṃmantrya te bhaginyau tadābale ||
sajīve prāṇiśakale tatyajāte suduḥkhite ||
tayor dhātryau susaṃvīte kṛtvā te garbhasaṃplave ||
nirgamyāntaḥpuradvārāt samutsṛjyāśu jagmatuḥ ||
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
उद्विग्ने सह संमन्त्र्यudvigne saha saṃmantryatroubled, having taken counsel together,
ते भगिन्यौ तदा अबलेte bhaginyau tadā abalethose two sisters, then, weak,
स-जीवे प्राणि-शकलेsa-jīve prāṇi-śakalethe living, breathing halves
तत्यजाते सु-दुःखितेtatyajāte su-duḥkhitethey abandoned, in great sorrow;
तयोः धात्र्यौ सु-संवीतेtayoḥ dhātryau su-saṃvītethe two nurses, having wrapped them well,
कृत्वा ते गर्भ-संप्लवेkṛtvā te garbha-saṃplavemaking them as though a miscarriage,
निर्गम्य अन्तःपुर-द्वारात्nirgamya antaḥpura-dvārātgoing out through the doors of the inner chambers,
समुत्सृज्य आशु जग्मतुःsamutsṛjya āśu jagmatuḥhaving abandoned [them], departed hastily;
तदाबलेtadābaleoriginal form "tadābale", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
सजीवेsajīveoriginal form "sajīve", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
प्राणिशकलेprāṇiśakaleoriginal form "prāṇiśakale", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
सुदुःखितेsuduḥkhiteoriginal form "suduḥkhite", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
तयोर्tayororiginal form "tayor", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
सुसंवीतेsusaṃvīteoriginal form "susaṃvīte", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
गर्भसंप्लवेgarbhasaṃplaveoriginal form "garbhasaṃplave", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
निर्गम्यान्तःपुरद्वारात्nirgamyāntaḥpuradvārātoriginal form "nirgamyāntaḥpuradvārāt", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
समुत्सृज्याशुsamutsṛjyāśuoriginal form "samutsṛjyāśu", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
Translation
"Troubled, having taken counsel together, those weak sisters, in great sorrow, cast away the living, breathing halves; and the two nurses, having wrapped them well as though a miscarriage and gone out through the doors of the inner chambers, hastily abandoned them and departed."
Version
beb8dd82c54c · published Jul 16, 2026, 3:13:23 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
Here fear rejects what comes from God. It is significant that the mothers, in their faint-heartedness failing to understand the design, abandon a living child: hasty terror renounces the gift before it comes to fulfillment. The verse shows how fear destroys trust in grace; and next, providence works through a rakshasi.