Mahabharata · 7.50.60–61
॥
Devanāgarī
किमर्थम् एतन्न् आख्यातं त्वया कृष्ण रणे मम ॥
अधक्ष्यं तान् अहं सर्वांस् तदा क्रूरान् महारथान् ॥
निगृह्य वासुदेवस् तं पुत्राधिभिर् अभिप्लुतम् ॥
मैवम् इत्य् अब्रवीत् कृष्णस् तीव्रशोकसमन्वितम् ॥
Transliteration (IAST)
kimartham etann ākhyātaṃ tvayā kṛṣṇa raṇe mama ||
adhakṣyaṃ tān ahaṃ sarvāṃs tadā krūrān mahārathān ||
nigṛhya vāsudevas taṃ putrādhibhir abhiplutam ||
maivam ity abravīt kṛṣṇas tīvraśokasamanvitam ||
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
किमर्थम् एतत् आख्यातम्kimartham etat ākhyātamwhy was this told; to what end was this told
त्वया कृष्णtvayā kṛṣṇaby you, O Krishna; by you, Krishna
रणे ममraṇe mamato me in battle; to me in the fight
अधक्ष्यम् तान् अहम् सर्वान्adhakṣyam tān aham sarvānI would have burned them all; I would have burned all of them
तदा क्रूरान् महारथान्tadā krūrān mahārathānthen — those cruel great chariot-warriors; those fierce maharathas
निगृह्यnigṛhyahaving restrained [held back]; having restrained
वासुदेवः तम्vāsudevaḥ tamVasudeva [Krishna] him; Vasudeva him
पुत्राधिभिः अभिप्लुतम्putrādhibhiḥ abhiplutamoverwhelmed by grief for his son; flooded with sorrow for his son
मा एवम् इति अब्रवीत् कृष्णःmā evam iti abravīt kṛṣṇaḥ"not so", said Krishna; "it must not be so", spoke Krishna
तीव्रशोकसमन्वितम्tīvraśokasamanvitamovercome with fierce grief; seized with burning sorrow
Translation
"'Why was this told to me by you, O Krishna, in battle? I would have burned all of them then — those fierce great chariot-warriors.' Having restrained him, overwhelmed with sorrow for his son, seized with burning grief, Krishna said: 'It must not be so.'"
Version
15da28337b24 · published Jul 19, 2026, 3:30:04 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
Arjuna's anger turns backward, into the past: "adhakṣyaṃ tān ahaṃ sarvān", "I would have burned them all", — had he known it in battle. But Krishna deliberately did not tell him then, for everything has its hour; premature fury would only have brought ruin. "Nigṛhya… mā evam", "restraining… 'it must not be so'", — the Lord holds back before he instructs. It is telling that healing begins with stopping the impulse, not indulging it. The verse teaches that God's mercy sometimes lies in withholding knowledge and power before their time, and that the first word to one maddened by grief is not an argument but a restraining hand.