Mahabharata · 2.72.25–26
॥
Devanāgarī
ततो ऽहम् अब्रुवं तत्र विदुरेण प्रचोदितः ॥
वरं ददानि कृष्णायै काङ्क्षितं यद् यद् इच्छति ॥
अवृणोत् तत्र पाञ्चाली पाण्डवान् अमितौजसः ॥
सरथान् सधनुष्कांश् चाप्य् अनुज्ञासिषम् अप्य् अहम् ॥
Transliteration (IAST)
tato 'ham abruvaṃ tatra vidureṇa pracoditaḥ ||
varaṃ dadāni kṛṣṇāyai kāṅkṣitaṃ yad yad icchati ||
avṛṇot tatra pāñcālī pāṇḍavān amitaujasaḥ ||
sarathān sadhanuṣkāṃś cāpy anujñāsiṣam apy aham ||
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
ततो ऽहम् अब्रुवं तत्र विदुरेण प्रचोदितःtato 'ham abruvaṃ tatra vidureṇa pracoditaḥThen, urged on by Vidura, I said there:
वरं ददानि कृष्णायै काङ्क्षितं यद् यद् इच्छतिvaraṃ dadāni kṛṣṇāyai kāṅkṣitaṃ yad yad icchati"I grant Krishna a boon — whatever she may desire";
अवृणोत् तत्र पाञ्चाली पाण्डवान् अमित-ओजसःavṛṇot tatra pāñcālī pāṇḍavān amita-ojasaḥPanchali there chose the Pandavas, men of measureless might,
स-रथान् स-धनुष्कांश् च अप्य् अनुज्ञासिषम् अप्य् अहम्sa-rathān sa-dhanuṣkāṃś ca apy anujñāsiṣam apy ahamtogether with their chariots and bows; and I permitted it.
अमितौजसःamitaujasaḥoriginal form "amitaujasaḥ", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
सरथान्sarathānoriginal form "sarathān", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
सधनुष्कांश्sadhanuṣkāṃśoriginal form "sadhanuṣkāṃś", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
चाप्य्cāpyoriginal form "cāpy", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
Translation
[Dhritarashtra:] "Then, urged on by Vidura, I said there: 'I grant Krishna a boon — whatever she may desire.' Panchali there chose the Pandavas, men of measureless might, together with their chariots and bows; and I permitted it."
Version
947d010b69a6 · published Jul 16, 2026, 4:17:50 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
Dhritarashtra's one good deed was born not of himself but of being "urged on by Vidura": even a small good the weak man performs only when pushed by another. And this very good he immediately turns to nothing, by summoning the Pandavas anew to a ruinous second game. Thus the inconstant man takes a step toward what is right and at once retreats from it — a benefaction not rooted in firm will bears no fruit. The verse teaches that good done only under another's compulsion is unstable; that a release granted and then taken back through wavering is worse than a steadfast refusal; and that the tragedy of the weak-willed is that even their good impulses are fruitless, for it is not they who govern these impulses but the impulses that govern them, shifting with the word of whoever counseled last.