Mahabharata · 7.168.1–2
॥
Devanāgarī
संजय उवाच
अर्जुनस्य वचः श्रुत्वा नोचुस् तत्र महारथाः ॥
अप्रियं वा प्रियं वापि महाराज धनंजयम् ॥
ततः क्रुद्धो महाबाहुर् भीमसेनो ऽभ्यभाषत ॥
उत्स्मयन्न् इव कौन्तेयम् अर्जुनं भरतर्षभ ॥
Transliteration (IAST)
saṃjaya uvāca
arjunasya vacaḥ śrutvā nocus tatra mahārathāḥ ||
apriyaṃ vā priyaṃ vāpi mahārāja dhanaṃjayam ||
tataḥ kruddho mahābāhur bhīmaseno 'bhyabhāṣata ||
utsmayann iva kaunteyam arjunaṃ bharatarṣabha ||
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
अर्जुनस्य वचः श्रुत्वाarjunasya vacaḥ śrutvāhearing Arjuna's words; having heard Arjuna's speech
न ऊचुः तत्र महारथाःna ūcuḥ tatra mahārathāḥsaid not there the great charioteers; spoke not there the great warriors
अप्रियम् वा प्रियम् वा अपिapriyam vā priyam vā apineither unpleasant nor pleasant; neither bitter nor pleasant
महाराज धनंजयम्mahārāja dhanaṃjayamO great king, to Dhananjaya; O great king, to Dhananjaya
ततः क्रुद्धः महाबाहुःtataḥ kruddhaḥ mahābāhuḥthen, enraged, the mighty-armed; then, wrathful, the mighty-armed
भीमसेनः अभ्यभाषतbhīmasenaḥ abhyabhāṣataBhimasena spoke; Bhimasena said
उत्स्मयन् इव कौन्तेयम्utsmayan iva kaunteyamas if smiling, to Kaunteya; as if grinning, to Kaunteya
अर्जुनम् भरतर्षभarjunam bharatarṣabhato Arjuna, O bull of the Bharatas; to Arjuna, O bull of the Bharatas
Translation
Hearing Arjuna's words, the great charioteers there said neither anything unpleasant nor anything pleasant to Dhananjaya, O great king. Then the mighty-armed Bhimasena, enraged, spoke to Kaunteya Arjuna as if smiling, O bull of the Bharatas.
Version
cf566bf473fa · published Jul 19, 2026, 5:08:17 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
Arjuna's remorse is met with silence: no one dares either to approve or to condemn, so heavy is the truth he has spoken. It is telling that Bhima is the first to answer, "as if smiling" -- he meets his brother's repentance with bitter irony. The verse teaches that one man's deep moral grief often unsettles many others, for it lays bare a shared guilt; and where conscience has spoken aloud, the rest either fall silent or defend themselves -- but silence cannot undo the truth.