Mahabharata · 7.74.39–40
॥
Devanāgarī
एवम् उक्तस् तु पार्थेन केशवः प्रत्युवाच तम् ॥
ममाप्य् एतन् मतं पार्थ यद् इदं ते प्रभाषितम् ॥
अर्जुन उवाच
अहम् आवारयिष्यामि सर्वसैन्यानि केशव ॥
त्वम् अप्य् अत्र यथान्यायं कुरु कार्यम् अनन्तरम् ॥
Transliteration (IAST)
evam uktas tu pārthena keśavaḥ pratyuvāca tam ||
mamāpy etan mataṃ pārtha yad idaṃ te prabhāṣitam ||
arjuna uvāca
aham āvārayiṣyāmi sarvasainyāni keśava ||
tvam apy atra yathānyāyaṃ kuru kāryam anantaram ||
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
एवम् उक्तः तु पार्थेनevam uktaḥ tu pārthenathus addressed by Partha; thus counseled by Partha
केशवः प्रत्युवाच तम्keśavaḥ pratyuvāca tamKeshava answered him; Keshava answered him
मम अपि एतत् मतम् पार्थmama api etat matam pārthathis too is my thought, Partha; and this is my thought too, Partha
यत् इदम् ते प्रभाषितम्yat idam te prabhāṣitamwhich you have just spoken; which you have just now spoken
अहम् आवारयिष्यामिaham āvārayiṣyāmiI shall hold back; I shall hold back
सर्वसैन्यानि केशवsarvasainyāni keśavaall the armies, O Keshava; all the armies
त्वम् अपि अत्र यथान्यायम्tvam api atra yathānyāyamyou, too, here, as is fitting; you, too, here, as is fitting
कुरु कार्यम् अनन्तरम्kuru kāryam anantaramdo the task at hand; do the task at hand
Translation
Thus addressed by Partha, Keshava answered him: "This too is my thought, Partha, that which you have just spoken. I shall hold back all the armies; you, meanwhile, do here what is fitting, the task at hand."
Version
df09247e6f9d · published Jul 19, 2026, 3:52:56 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The friends' agreement is complete: "mama api etat matam" -- "this too is my thought." And the Lord takes upon Himself the harder task: "ahaṃ āvārayiṣyāmi sarvasainyāni" -- "I shall hold back all the armies" -- while the devotee tends to the horses. It is telling that God takes up the defense, leaving the servant the smaller care. The verse teaches that the Lord bears the chief weight of the devotee's task: while the devotee attends to what is within his reach, God holds back what is beyond it; and in this division lies the pattern of all service, where the human does his part and God Himself accomplishes what exceeds it.