Mahabharata · 2.36.14–15
॥
Devanāgarī
स्थितः सेनापतिर् वो ऽहं मन्यध्वं किं नु सांप्रतम् ॥
युधि तिष्ठाम संनह्य समेतान् वृष्णिपाण्डवान् ॥
इति सर्वान् समुत्साह्य राज्ञस् तांश् चेदिपुंगवः ॥
यज्ञोपघाताय ततः सो ऽमन्त्रयत राजभिः ॥
Transliteration (IAST)
sthitaḥ senāpatir vo 'haṃ manyadhvaṃ kiṃ nu sāṃpratam ||
yudhi tiṣṭhāma saṃnahya sametān vṛṣṇipāṇḍavān ||
iti sarvān samutsāhya rājñas tāṃś cedipuṃgavaḥ ||
yajñopaghātāya tataḥ so 'mantrayata rājabhiḥ ||
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
स्थितः सेनापतिर् वो अहम्sthitaḥ senāpatir vo aham"I stand as your commander;
मन्यध्वं किं नु सांप्रतम्manyadhvaṃ kiṃ nu sāṃpratamwhat do you think now?
युधि तिष्ठाम संनह्यyudhi tiṣṭhāma saṃnahyalet us stand armed in battle
समेतान् वृष्णि-पाण्डवान्sametān vṛṣṇi-pāṇḍavānagainst the assembled Vrishnis and Pandavas";
इति सर्वान् समुत्साह्यiti sarvān samutsāhyahaving thus encouraged all
राज्ञस् तांश् चेदि-पुंगवःrājñas tāṃś cedi-puṃgavaḥthose kings, the bull of Chedi,
यज्ञ-उपघाताय ततःyajña-upaghātāya tataḥfor the destruction of the sacrifice, then
सो अमन्त्रयत राजभिःso amantrayata rājabhiḥhe conspired with the kings.
ऽहं'haṃoriginal form "'haṃ", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
वृष्णिपाण्डवान्vṛṣṇipāṇḍavānoriginal form "vṛṣṇipāṇḍavān", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
चेदिपुंगवःcedipuṃgavaḥoriginal form "cedipuṃgavaḥ", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
यज्ञोपघातायyajñopaghātāyaoriginal form "yajñopaghātāya", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
ऽमन्त्रयत'mantrayataoriginal form "'mantrayata", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
Translation
"I stand ready to be your commander; what do you think now? Let us stand armed in battle against the assembled Vrishnis and Pandavas." Having thus roused all those kings, the bull of Chedi began to conspire with them to destroy the sacrifice.
Version
0eb032c2af19 · published Jul 16, 2026, 3:40:28 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
Shishupala's anger grows into a plot to destroy the sacrifice itself. It is telling how far the refusal to recognize the Lord leads: from slander to rebellion, from words to a scheme to destroy the sacred. Envy, meeting no check within itself, does not stop at murmuring but seeks to annihilate the very thing it envies. The verse teaches that intolerance of the Supreme's glory is destructive by nature: it is not enough for it to abstain from worship — it craves to tear it away from others. And whoever raises a hand against the sacrifice raises it, unknowingly, against his own ruin — for to take up arms against the Lord's work is to take up arms against Him.