SanskritIASTMeaning
अथ एनाम् अन्ववेक्षस्व मृगचर्याम् इव आत्मनः अवीराचरिताम् राजन् न बलस्थैः निषेविताम्atha enām anvavekṣasva mṛgacaryām iva ātmanaḥ avīrācaritām rājan na balasthaiḥ niṣevitāmlook at this conduct of yours as if it were the life of a beast, o king, unworthy of heroes and not practiced by the strong
याम् न कृष्णः न बीभत्सुः न अभिमन्युः न सृञ्जयः न च अहम् अभिनन्दामि न च माद्रीसुतौ उभौyām na kṛṣṇaḥ na bībhatsuḥ na abhimanyuḥ na sṛñjayaḥ na ca aham abhinandāmi na ca mādrīsutau ubhauwhich neither Krishna, nor Bibhatsu, nor Abhimanyu, nor the Srinjayas, nor I myself approve, nor do the two sons of Madri
भवान् धर्मः धर्मः इति सततम् व्रतकर्शितः कच्चित् राजन् न निर्वेदात् आपन्नः क्लीबजीविकाम्bhavān dharmaḥ dharmaḥ iti satatam vratakarśitaḥ kaccit rājan na nirvedāt āpannaḥ klībajīvikāmyou, worn thin by vows, keep saying, 'dharma, dharma'; has despair, o king, not brought you to the life of an impotent man
दुर्मनुष्याः हि निर्वेदम् अफलम् सर्वघातिनम् अशक्ताः श्रियम् आहर्तुम् आत्मनः कुर्वते प्रियम्durmanuṣyāḥ hi nirvedam aphalam sarvaghātinam aśaktāḥ śriyam āhartum ātmanaḥ kurvate priyamwicked people, unable to win fortune for themselves, love a fruitless despair that destroys everything
स भवान् दृष्टिमान् शक्तः पश्यन् आत्मनि पौरुषम् आनृशंस्यपरः राजन् न अनर्थम् अवबुध्यसेsa bhavān dṛṣṭimān śaktaḥ paśyan ātmani pauruṣam ānṛśaṃsyaparaḥ rājan na anartham avabudhyasebut you are clear-sighted and capable, seeing manhood in yourself, yet devoted to non-cruelty, you do not perceive the disaster, o king
अस्मान् अमी धार्तराष्ट्राः क्षममाणान् अलम् सतः अशक्तान् एव मन्यन्ते तत् दुःखम् न आहवे वधःasmān amī dhārtarāṣṭrāḥ kṣamamāṇān alam sataḥ aśaktān eva manyante tat duḥkham na āhave vadhaḥthese sons of Dhritarashtra, seeing us endure enough, consider us simply powerless; that suffering is worse than death in battle
तत्र चेत् युध्यमानानाम् अजिह्मम् अनिवर्तिनाम् सर्वशः हि वधः श्रेयान् प्रेत्य लोकान् लभेमहिtatra cet yudhyamānānām ajihmam anivartinām sarvaśaḥ hi vadhaḥ śreyān pretya lokān labhemahiif we, fighting honestly and without retreating, were all to be killed there, that would be better: after death we would win the worlds
अथ वा वयम् एव एतान् निहत्य भरतर्षभ आददीमहि गाम् सर्वाम् तथा अपि श्रेयः एव नःatha vā vayam eva etān nihatya bharatarṣabha ādadīmahi gām sarvām tathā api śreyaḥ eva naḥor if, having killed them ourselves, o bull of the Bharatas, we took the whole earth, that too would be better for us
सर्वथा कार्यम् एतत् नः स्वधर्मम् अनुतिष्ठताम् काङ्क्षताम् विपुलाम् कीर्तिम् वैरम् प्रतिचिकीर्षताम्sarvathā kāryam etat naḥ svadharmam anutiṣṭhatām kāṅkṣatām vipulām kīrtim vairam praticikīrṣatāmthis, in any case, is our task: to follow our own dharma, to desire wide fame, and to repay the enmity
आत्मार्थम् युध्यमानानाम् विदिते कृत्यलक्षणे अन्यैः अपहृते राज्ये प्रशंसा एव न गर्हणाātmārtham yudhyamānānām vidite kṛtyalakṣaṇe anyaiḥ apahṛte rājye praśaṃsā eva na garhaṇāfor those fighting for their own sake, when the nature of the duty is clear and the kingdom has been seized by others, only praise awaits, not blame
कर्शनार्थः हि यः धर्मः मित्राणाम् आत्मनः तथा व्यसनम् नाम तत् राजन् न स धर्मः कुधर्म तत्karśanārthaḥ hi yaḥ dharmaḥ mitrāṇām ātmanaḥ tathā vyasanam nāma tat rājan na sa dharmaḥ kudharma tatthe dharma that exhausts one's friends and oneself is called, o king, a calamity; that is not dharma, it is bad dharma
सर्वथा धर्मनित्यम् तु पुरुषम् धर्मदुर्बलम् जहतः तात धर्मार्थौ प्रेतम् दुःखसुखे यथाsarvathā dharmanityam tu puruṣam dharmadurbalam jahataḥ tāta dharmārthau pretam duḥkhasukhe yathāin every way, a man who talks endlessly of dharma but is weak in dharma is abandoned by dharma and profit, o father, just as joy and sorrow abandon a corpse
अथैनाम्athaināmoriginal form "athainām", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
इवात्मनःivātmanaḥoriginal form "ivātmanaḥ", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
अवीराचरितांavīrācaritāṃoriginal form "avīrācaritāṃ", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
बलस्थैर्balasthairoriginal form "balasthair", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
यांyāṃoriginal form "yāṃ", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
कृष्णोkṛṣṇooriginal form "kṛṣṇo", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
बीभत्सुर्bībhatsuroriginal form "bībhatsur", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
नाभिमन्युर्nābhimanyuroriginal form "nābhimanyur", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
चाहम्cāhamoriginal form "cāham", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
माद्रीसुताव्mādrīsutāvoriginal form "mādrīsutāv", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
धर्मोdharmooriginal form "dharmo", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
धर्मdharmaoriginal form "dharma", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
सततंsatataṃoriginal form "satataṃ", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
कच्चिद्kaccidoriginal form "kaccid", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
निर्वेदाद्nirvedādoriginal form "nirvedād", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
दुर्मनुष्याdurmanuṣyāoriginal form "durmanuṣyā", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
अफलंaphalaṃoriginal form "aphalaṃ", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
दृष्टिमाञ्dṛṣṭimāñoriginal form "dṛṣṭimāñ", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
पश्यन्न्paśyannoriginal form "paśyann", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
आनृशंस्यपरोānṛśaṃsyaparooriginal form "ānṛśaṃsyaparo", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
नानर्थम्nānarthamoriginal form "nānartham", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
अलंalaṃoriginal form "alaṃ", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
तद्दुःखंtadduḥkhaṃoriginal form "tadduḥkhaṃ", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
नाहवेnāhaveoriginal form "nāhave", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
चेद्cedoriginal form "ced", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
सर्वशोsarvaśooriginal form "sarvaśo", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
लोकांल्lokāṃloriginal form "lokāṃl", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
एवैतान्evaitānoriginal form "evaitān", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
गांgāṃoriginal form "gāṃ", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
सर्वांsarvāṃoriginal form "sarvāṃ", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
तथापिtathāpioriginal form "tathāpi", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
श्रेयśreyaoriginal form "śreya", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
एतन्etanoriginal form "etan", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
काङ्क्षतांkāṅkṣatāṃoriginal form "kāṅkṣatāṃ", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
विपुलांvipulāṃoriginal form "vipulāṃ", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
कीर्तिंkīrtiṃoriginal form "kīrtiṃ", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
वैरंvairaṃoriginal form "vairaṃ", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
आत्मार्थंātmārthaṃoriginal form "ātmārthaṃ", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
युध्यमानानांyudhyamānānāṃoriginal form "yudhyamānānāṃ", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
अन्यैर्anyairoriginal form "anyair", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
प्रशंसैवpraśaṃsaivaoriginal form "praśaṃsaiva", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
कर्शनार्थोkarśanārthooriginal form "karśanārtho", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
योyooriginal form "yo", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
धर्मोdharmooriginal form "dharmo", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
आत्मनस्ātmanasoriginal form "ātmanas", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
व्यसनंvyasanaṃoriginal form "vyasanaṃ", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
तद्tadoriginal form "tad", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
धर्मनित्यंdharmanityaṃoriginal form "dharmanityaṃ", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
पुरुषंpuruṣaṃoriginal form "puruṣaṃ", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
जहतस्jahatasoriginal form "jahatas", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
प्रेतंpretaṃoriginal form "pretaṃ", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
Here Bhima names the danger of false holiness: one can cling so tightly to the word 'dharma' that dharma itself becomes barren and destructive. His criterion is practical: if a path feeds evil and breaks one's own, it must be reconsidered.