Mahabharata · 2.39.18–19
॥
Devanāgarī
प्रहसंश् चाब्रवीद् वाक्यं चेदिराजः प्रतापवान् ॥
भीमसेनम् अतिक्रुद्धं दृष्ट्वा भीमपराक्रमम् ॥
मुञ्चैनं भीष्म पश्यन्तु यावद् एनं नराधिपाः ॥
मत्प्रतापाग्निनिर्दग्धं पतंगम् इव वह्निना ॥
Transliteration (IAST)
prahasaṃś cābravīd vākyaṃ cedirājaḥ pratāpavān ||
bhīmasenam atikruddhaṃ dṛṣṭvā bhīmaparākramam ||
muñcainaṃ bhīṣma paśyantu yāvad enaṃ narādhipāḥ ||
matpratāpāgninirdagdhaṃ pataṃgam iva vahninā ||
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
प्रहसंश् च अब्रवीद् वाक्यंprahasaṃś ca abravīd vākyaṃand, laughing, spoke a word,
चेदिराजः प्रतापवान्cedirājaḥ pratāpavānthe mighty king of Chedi,
भीमसेनम् अतिक्रुद्धंbhīmasenam atikruddhaṃhaving seen Bhimasena, greatly enraged,
दृष्ट्वा भीम-पराक्रमम्dṛṣṭvā bhīma-parākramamof terrible might:
मुञ्च एनं भीष्म पश्यन्तुmuñca enaṃ bhīṣma paśyantu"release him, Bhishma; let them watch,
यावद् एनं नराधिपाःyāvad enaṃ narādhipāḥthe lords of men, watch him,
मत्-प्रताप-अग्नि-निर्दग्धंmat-pratāpa-agni-nirdagdhaṃburned by the fire of my might,
पतंगम् इव वह्निनाpataṃgam iva vahnināas a moth — by flame».
चाब्रवीद्cābravīdoriginal form "cābravīd", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
भीमपराक्रमम्bhīmaparākramamoriginal form "bhīmaparākramam", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
मुञ्चैनंmuñcainaṃoriginal form "muñcainaṃ", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
मत्प्रतापाग्निनिर्दग्धंmatpratāpāgninirdagdhaṃoriginal form "matpratāpāgninirdagdhaṃ", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
Translation
And having seen Bhimasena, greatly enraged, terrible in might, the mighty king of Chedi, laughing, spoke a word: «Release him, Bhishma; let the lords of men watch him, burned by the fire of my might, as a moth is burned by flame».
Version
8be00a041027 · published Jul 16, 2026, 3:40:28 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
Having reached the brink, Shishupala calls his opponent a 'moth' that will burn in the fire of his might — and this very word turns into a sentence upon himself, for it is he who will prove to be the moth flying into the flame. It is telling that pride is especially eloquent in its final hour: the nearer the doom, the louder the boasting. The verse teaches us to recognize fatal blindness in this laughter and challenge: whoever, standing before his own end, calls down disaster upon others, is himself the moth at the flame. And the boast 'I will burn' from the mouth of the doomed is the surest sign that the hour is near when he himself will be burned.