Mahabharata · 7.89.6–7
॥
Devanāgarī
नागेष्व् अश्वेषु बहुशो रथेषु च परीक्षितम् ॥
परीक्ष्य च यथान्यायं वेतनेनोपपादितम् ॥
न गोष्ठ्या नोपचारेण न संबन्धनिमित्ततः ॥
नानाहूतो न ह्य् अभृतो मम सैन्ये बभूव ह ॥
Transliteration (IAST)
nāgeṣv aśveṣu bahuśo ratheṣu ca parīkṣitam ||
parīkṣya ca yathānyāyaṃ vetanenopapāditam ||
na goṣṭhyā nopacāreṇa na saṃbandhanimittataḥ ||
nānāhūto na hy abhṛto mama sainye babhūva ha ||
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
नागेषु अश्वेषु बहुशःnāgeṣu aśveṣu bahuśaḥon elephants, on horses, many times over; on elephants, on horses, repeatedly
रथेषु च परीक्षितम्ratheṣu ca parīkṣitamand tested on chariots; and tried on chariots
परीक्ष्य च यथान्यायम्parīkṣya ca yathānyāyamand having tested it as it should be; and having examined it as is fitting
वेतनेन उपपादितम्vetanena upapāditamendowed with wages; provided with wages
न गोष्ठ्या न उपचारेणna goṣṭhyā na upacāreṇanot by collusion, not by favor; neither by acquaintance nor by service rendered
न संबन्धनिमित्ततःna saṃbandhanimittataḥnot on account of kinship; nor for the sake of a family bond
न अनाहूतः न हि अभृतःna anāhūtaḥ na hi abhṛtaḥneither uninvited nor, indeed, unpaid; neither uninvited nor, indeed, unhired
मम सैन्ये बभूव हmama sainye babhūva hawas [not] in my army; was [not] found in my host
Translation
Tested on elephants, on horses many times over, and on chariots, and having been examined as it should be, endowed with wages; not by collusion, not by favor, not on account of kinship — no warrior in my army was either uninvited or unpaid.
Version
8a82411e79c7 · published Jul 19, 2026, 4:02:23 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The king boasts of the fairness of the recruitment: everything was done "parīkṣya yathānyāyam," after due testing, and no one was taken "goṣṭhyā... saṃbandhanimittataḥ," by collusion or kinship. The earthly order is impeccable — and yet it collapses. It is telling that even a perfectly just arrangement cannot save an unjust cause. The verse teaches that honesty in means does not redeem injustice in the goal: one can recruit and pay an army flawlessly, but if it is raised for an unjust cause, its very correctness will not avert the appointed downfall.