Mahabharata · 2.44.7–8
॥
Devanāgarī
अग्निदाहान् मयं चापि मोक्षयित्वा स दानवम् ॥
सभां तां कारयाम् आस सव्यसाची परंतपः ॥
तेन चैव मयेनोक्ताः किंकरा नाम राक्षसाः ॥
वहन्ति तां सभां भीमास् तत्र का परिदेवना ॥
Transliteration (IAST)
agnidāhān mayaṃ cāpi mokṣayitvā sa dānavam ||
sabhāṃ tāṃ kārayām āsa savyasācī paraṃtapaḥ ||
tena caiva mayenoktāḥ kiṃkarā nāma rākṣasāḥ ||
vahanti tāṃ sabhāṃ bhīmās tatra kā paridevanā ||
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
अग्नि-दाहान् मयं च अपिagni-dāhān mayaṃ ca api"From the fire, Maya too
मोक्षयित्वा स दानवम्mokṣayitvā sa dānavamhaving been saved, that danava,
सभां तां कारयाम् आसsabhāṃ tāṃ kārayām āsaordered that hall to be built
सव्यसाची परंतपःsavyasācī paraṃtapaḥSavyasachi, chastiser of foes;
तेन च एव मयेन उक्ताःtena ca eva mayena uktāḥand, summoned by that same Maya,
किंकरा नाम राक्षसाःkiṃkarā nāma rākṣasāḥrakshasas named Kinkaras
वहन्ति तां सभां भीमास्vahanti tāṃ sabhāṃ bhīmāscarry that hall, fearsome [as they are] --
तत्र का परिदेवनाtatra kā paridevanāwhat is there to lament here?"
अग्निदाहान्agnidāhānoriginal form "agnidāhān", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
चापिcāpioriginal form "cāpi", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
चैवcaivaoriginal form "caiva", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
मयेनोक्ताःmayenoktāḥoriginal form "mayenoktāḥ", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
Translation
"Having saved the danava Maya from the fire, Savyasachi [Arjuna], chastiser of foes, ordered him to build that hall. And the fearsome rakshasas named Kinkaras, summoned by that same Maya, carry [bear] that hall -- what is there to lament here?"
Version
324cdaf13109 · published Jul 16, 2026, 3:49:22 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
And this wondrous hall, by Shakuni's own words, was born of mercy -- Arjuna saved Maya from the fire, and he in gratitude raised the palace. It is notable that all the Pandavas' grandeur flows from their virtue: even the marvelous assembly hall is the fruit of a rescue granted. The verse teaches that a good deed returns a hundredfold: one who spares another in distress receives a gift beyond purchase. The envious see only the finished splendor, without discerning its good root. Whoever shows mercy is served by both danavas and rakshasas; and so to 'lament' another's happiness grown from another's virtue is to grumble against the very law of recompense, by which good gives birth to good.