Mahabharata · 2.45.4–5
॥
Devanāgarī
दुर्योधनो महाराज विवर्णो हरिणः कृशः ॥
दीनश् चिन्तापरश् चैव तद् विद्धि भरतर्षभ ॥
न वै परीक्षसे सम्यग् असह्यं शत्रुसंभवम् ॥
ज्येष्ठपुत्रस्य शोकं त्वं किमर्थं नावबुध्यसे ॥
Transliteration (IAST)
duryodhano mahārāja vivarṇo hariṇaḥ kṛśaḥ ||
dīnaś cintāparaś caiva tad viddhi bharatarṣabha ||
na vai parīkṣase samyag asahyaṃ śatrusaṃbhavam ||
jyeṣṭhaputrasya śokaṃ tvaṃ kimarthaṃ nāvabudhyase ||
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
दुर्योधनो महाराजduryodhano mahārāja'Duryodhana, O great king,
विवर्णो हरिणः कृशःvivarṇo hariṇaḥ kṛśaḥis pale, sallow, thin,
दीनश् चिन्ता-परश् च एवdīnaś cintā-paraś ca evawretched and sunk in thought —
तद् विद्धि भरतर्षभtad viddhi bharatarṣabhaknow this, O bull of the Bharatas;
न वै परीक्षसे सम्यग्na vai parīkṣase samyagyou do not properly consider
असह्यं शत्रु-संभवम्asahyaṃ śatru-saṃbhavamthe unbearable [grief], born of enemies;
ज्येष्ठ-पुत्रस्य शोकं त्वंjyeṣṭha-putrasya śokaṃ tvaṃthe eldest son's grief, you
किम्-अर्थं न अवबुध्यसेkim-arthaṃ na avabudhyasewhy do you not understand?'
चिन्तापरश्cintāparaśoriginal form "cintāparaś", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
चैवcaivaoriginal form "caiva", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
शत्रुसंभवम्śatrusaṃbhavamoriginal form "śatrusaṃbhavam", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
ज्येष्ठपुत्रस्यjyeṣṭhaputrasyaoriginal form "jyeṣṭhaputrasya", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
किमर्थंkimarthaṃoriginal form "kimarthaṃ", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
नावबुध्यसेnāvabudhyaseoriginal form "nāvabudhyase", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
Translation
'Duryodhana, O great king, is pale, sallow, thin, wretched, and sunk in thought — know this, O bull of the Bharatas. You do not properly consider his unbearable [grief], born of [the sight of his] enemies; why do you not understand your eldest son's sorrow?'
Version
58d09e5b7642 · published Jul 16, 2026, 3:49:22 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The flatterer begins not with malice but with pity: he points the father toward his son's thinness and pallor. It is telling that the path to a wicked deed is paved through a good feeling — compassion for one's child. The verse teaches how skillfully evil makes use of the heart's natural movements: it does not call the father directly to sin, but awakens in him a father's pity, so as to use that very pity to push him toward wrongdoing. And whoever wishes to guard against cunning counsel must weigh not only what is said but also which feeling it appeals to — for through love and compassion evil slips in where a direct summons would never have broken through.