Mahabharata · 7.52.13–14
॥
Devanāgarī
एवं विलपमानं तं भयाद् व्याकुलचेतसम् ॥
आत्मकार्यगरीयस्त्वाद् राजा दुर्योधनो ऽब्रवीत् ॥
न भेतव्यं नरव्याघ्र को हि त्वा पुरुषर्षभ ॥
मध्ये क्षत्रियवीराणां तिष्ठन्तं प्रार्थयेद् युधि ॥
Transliteration (IAST)
evaṃ vilapamānaṃ taṃ bhayād vyākulacetasam ||
ātmakāryagarīyastvād rājā duryodhano 'bravīt ||
na bhetavyaṃ naravyāghra ko hi tvā puruṣarṣabha ||
madhye kṣatriyavīrāṇāṃ tiṣṭhantaṃ prārthayed yudhi ||
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
एवम् विलपमानम् तम्evam vilapamānam tamthus lamenting him; thus wailing him
भयात् व्याकुलचेतसम्bhayāt vyākulacetasamwith mind bewildered by fear; with understanding confounded by fear
आत्मकार्यगरीयस्त्वात्ātmakāryagarīyastvātbecause of the weightiness [importance] of his own purpose; for the sake of the importance of his own affair
राजा दुर्योधनः अब्रवीत्rājā duryodhanaḥ abravītKing Duryodhana said; King Duryodhana spoke
न भेतव्यम्na bhetavyamyou must not fear [do not be afraid]; fear not
नरव्याघ्रnaravyāghraO tiger among men; O man-tiger
कः हि त्वाkaḥ hi tvāfor who indeed you; for who indeed, you
पुरुषर्षभpuruṣarṣabhaO bull among men; O bull-man
मध्ये क्षत्रियवीराणाम्madhye kṣatriyavīrāṇāmstanding amid heroic kshatriyas; standing among the heroic kshatriyas
तिष्ठन्तम्tiṣṭhantamstanding; standing
प्रार्थयेत् युधिprārthayet yudhiwould seek [you] out in battle; would come looking for you in battle
Translation
So, as he lamented thus, his mind bewildered by fear, King Duryodhana — for the sake of the importance of his own affair — spoke: "Fear not, O tiger among men! For who, O bull among men, standing amid heroic kshatriyas, would come seeking you out in battle?"
Version
11923f484325 · published Jul 19, 2026, 3:36:52 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The verse lays bare the true spring of the comfort offered: "ātmakāryagarīyastvāt", "for the sake of the importance of his own affair." Duryodhana holds Jayadratha back not out of love, but out of calculation — his brother-in-law's flight would ruin his own plan. It is telling, this honest word of the narrator: comfort can be self-serving, and concern for another may be only a mask for concern for oneself. The verse teaches to discern the source of another's care: a word of support from one who needs you for his own ends warms differently than the word of one who truly loves, and the wise look not at the sweetness of speech but at whose good it serves.