Mahabharata · 7.23.7–8
॥
Devanāgarī
अर्धं मे केकया लब्धाः काशिकाः कोसलाश् च ये ॥
चेदयश् चापरे वङ्गा माम् एव समुपाश्रिताः ॥
पृथिवी भूयसी तात मम पार्थस्य नो तथा ॥
इति माम् अब्रवीत् सूत मन्दो दुर्योधनस् तदा ॥
Transliteration (IAST)
ardhaṃ me kekayā labdhāḥ kāśikāḥ kosalāś ca ye ||
cedayaś cāpare vaṅgā mām eva samupāśritāḥ ||
pṛthivī bhūyasī tāta mama pārthasya no tathā ||
iti mām abravīt sūta mando duryodhanas tadā ||
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
अर्धम्ardhamhalf; half [of the kings]
मेmeby me [mine]; by me
केकयाःkekayāḥthe Kekayas; the Kekayas
लब्धाःlabdhāḥwon [gained]; won
काशिकाःkāśikāḥthe Kashis [of Kashi]; the Kashis
कोसलाःkosalāḥthe Kosalas; the Kosalas
चcaand; —
येyewho [that]; that [there are]
चेदयःcedayaḥthe Chedis; the Chedis
चcaand; —
अपरेapareothers [the rest]; [and] the rest
वङ्गाःvaṅgāḥthe Vangas; the Vangas
माम् एवmām eva[to] me myself; [precisely] to me
समुपाश्रिताःsamupāśritāḥhave joined [gone over]; have joined
पृथिवीpṛthivīthe earth; the earth
भूयसीbhūyasīgreater; greater [part]
तातtātadear one [father]; father
ममmamais mine [I have]; mine
पार्थस्यpārthasyaof Partha [Partha has]; [while] Partha's
न तथाna tathānot so [not as much]; not as much
इतिitithus [so]; —
माम्māmto me; to me
अब्रवीत्abravītsaid [spoke]; spoke
सूतsūtaO suta [Sanjaya]; O narrator
मन्दःmandaḥfoolish [dull-witted]; foolish
दुर्योधनःduryodhanaḥDuryodhana
तदाtadāthen; then
Translation
‘Half [of the kings] have been won by me — the Kekayas, the Kashis, and the Kosalas that there are, and the Chedis, and the rest, the Vangas, have joined precisely me. The earth for the greater part is mine, father, while Partha's is not as much’ — thus, O narrator, foolish Duryodhana spoke to me then.
Version
204925962d6f · published Jul 19, 2026, 3:11:21 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
Dhritarashtra bitterly recalls his son's boast: "half the kings are mine, the earth for the greater part is mine." Now, after the fall of the commanders, these calculations sound like mockery of his own overconfidence. The son is called "foolish" (manda) — the father at last sees what he did not wish to see before. It is telling that Duryodhana measured his rightness by the number of allies and the extent of lands — that is, by power, not by justice. The verse teaches that counting allies and possessions is a deceptive measure: greater strength is not greater truth; that overconfidence, which measures success by numbers and territories, is blind to what actually decides the outcome; and that the boastful calculations of the proud, recalled in the hour of ruin, expose the utter futility of relying on force instead of dharma.