Mahabharata · 7.54.11–12
॥
Devanāgarī
ततो ऽर्जुनगृहं गत्वा वासुदेवः सुदुर्मनाः ॥
भगिनीं पुत्रशोकार्ताम् आश्वासयत दुःखिताम् ॥
मा शोकं कुरु वार्ष्णेयि कुमारं प्रति सस्नुषा ॥
सर्वेषां प्राणिनां भीरु निष्ठैषा कालनिर्मिता ॥
Transliteration (IAST)
tato 'rjunagṛhaṃ gatvā vāsudevaḥ sudurmanāḥ ||
bhaginīṃ putraśokārtām āśvāsayata duḥkhitām ||
mā śokaṃ kuru vārṣṇeyi kumāraṃ prati sasnuṣā ||
sarveṣāṃ prāṇināṃ bhīru niṣṭhaiṣā kālanirmitā ||
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
ततः अर्जुनगृहम् गत्वाtataḥ arjunagṛham gatvāthen, having come to Arjuna's house; then, having entered Arjuna's house
वासुदेवः सुदुर्मनाःvāsudevaḥ sudurmanāḥVasudeva, greatly grieved; Vasudeva, deeply sorrowful
भगिनीम् पुत्रशोकार्ताम्bhaginīm putraśokārtāmthe sister, tormented by grief for her son; the sister, grieving for her son
आश्वासयत दुःखिताम्āśvāsayata duḥkhitāmconsoled, the afflicted one; consoled the afflicted one
मा शोकम् कुरु वार्ष्णेयिmā śokam kuru vārṣṇeyido not grieve, O Vrishni-woman [Subhadra]; do not grieve, O Vrishni-woman
कुमारम् प्रति सस्नुषाkumāram prati sasnuṣāover the boy, [together] with the daughter-in-law; over the boy, together with the daughter-in-law
सर्वेषाम् प्राणिनाम् भीरुsarveṣām prāṇinām bhīruof all living beings, O timid one; of all creatures, O timid one
निष्ठा एषा कालनिर्मिताniṣṭhā eṣā kālanirmitāthis is the end [limit] fashioned by Time; this end is set by Time
Translation
Then, having entered Arjuna's house, Vasudeva, deeply grieved, consoled his sister, afflicted, tormented by grief for her son: "Do not grieve, O Vrishni-woman, over the boy — you and the daughter-in-law; this is the end fashioned by Time for all living beings, O timid one."
Version
428f091ba21f · published Jul 19, 2026, 3:36:52 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The Lord Himself goes to console her, "sudurmanāḥ", "deeply grieved": He is not indifferent to the sorrow of His own but shares it. And the first word of consolation is about the common lot: "sarveṣāṃ prāṇināṃ niṣṭhā eṣā kālanirmitā", "this is the end fashioned by Time for all". It is telling that Krishna heals not by denying death but by placing it within the order of creation: all that lives is destined to die. The verse teaches that true consolation begins with the truth of universal mortality: grief subsides not where death is denied, but where it is accepted as the limit Time appoints to every life.