Mahabharata · 2.55.15–16
॥
Devanāgarī
जातं जातं पाण्डवेभ्यः पुष्पम् आदत्स्व भारत ॥
मालाकार इवारामे स्नेहं कुर्वन् पुनः पुनः ॥
वृक्षान् अङ्गारकारीव मैनान् धाक्षीः समूलकान् ॥
मा गमः ससुतामात्यः सबलश् च पराभवम् ॥
Transliteration (IAST)
jātaṃ jātaṃ pāṇḍavebhyaḥ puṣpam ādatsva bhārata ||
mālākāra ivārāme snehaṃ kurvan punaḥ punaḥ ||
vṛkṣān aṅgārakārīva mainān dhākṣīḥ samūlakān ||
mā gamaḥ sasutāmātyaḥ sabalaś ca parābhavam ||
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
जातं जातं पाण्डवेभ्यःjātaṃ jātaṃ pāṇḍavebhyaḥ"The flower born and born again from the Pandavas —
पुष्पम् आदत्स्व भारतpuṣpam ādatsva bhāratagather it, O Bharata,
माला-कार इव आरामेmālā-kāra iva ārāmelike a gardener in a garden,
स्नेहं कुर्वन् पुनः पुनःsnehaṃ kurvan punaḥ punaḥshowing love again and again;
वृक्षान् अङ्गार-कारी इवvṛkṣān aṅgāra-kārī ivado not, like a charcoal-burner with trees,
म एनान् धाक्षीः स-मूलकान्ma enān dhākṣīḥ sa-mūlakānburn them down to the root;
मा गमः स-सुत-अमात्यःmā gamaḥ sa-suta-amātyaḥdo not go, together with your sons, counselors,
स-बलश् च पराभवम्sa-balaś ca parābhavamand army, to destruction."
मालाकारmālākāraoriginal form "mālākāra", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
इवारामेivārāmeoriginal form "ivārāme", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
अङ्गारकारीवaṅgārakārīvaoriginal form "aṅgārakārīva", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
मैनान्mainānoriginal form "mainān", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
समूलकान्samūlakānoriginal form "samūlakān", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
ससुतामात्यःsasutāmātyaḥoriginal form "sasutāmātyaḥ", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
सबलश्sabalaśoriginal form "sabalaś", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
Translation
"Gather the flower that blossoms again and again from the Pandavas, O Bharata, like a gardener in a garden, showing them love time after time. Do not burn them down to the root, like a charcoal-burner with trees; do not go, together with your sons, counselors, and army, to destruction."
Version
75aba4f2b7e8 · published Jul 16, 2026, 4:03:36 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
Two images are set against each other: the gardener, who picks the flowers and preserves the tree, and the charcoal-burner, who burns the tree to ash. Telling is this distinction between two ways of relating to a good: the wise man makes use of the fruit while preserving the source; the fool destroys the source for a one-time gain. The verse teaches that love is creative while greed is destructive: one grows and gathers again, the other burns down and is left with ashes. Dhritarashtra is free to be the gardener of the Pandavas — reaping their devotion and strength again and again, showing them affection — or to be the charcoal-burner, burning them with enmity and perishing himself. One who preserves what he loves is served by it forever; one who burns it warms himself once and freezes afterward.