SánscritoIASTSignificado
विस्तरम्vistaramexpansion; extensiveness; development
कुरुवंशस्यkuru-vaṃśasyaof the Kuru lineage
गान्धार्याःgāndhāryāḥof Gandhari
धर्मशीलताम्dharma-śīlatāmvirtue of character; righteousness; piety
क्षत्तुःkṣattuḥof Vidura (the kshattri)
प्रज्ञाम्prajñāmwisdom; discernment
धृतिम्dhṛtimsteadfastness; firmness
कुन्त्याःkuntyāḥof Kunti
सम्यक्samyakduly; correctly
द्वैपायनःdvaipāyanaḥDvaipayana (Vyasa)
अब्रवीत्abravīttold; related
वासुदेवस्यvāsudevasyaof Vasudeva (Lord Krishna)
माहात्म्यम्māhātmyamgreatness; glory; sublimity
पाण्डवानाम्pāṇḍavānāmof the Pandavas
चcaand
सत्यताम्satyatāmtruthfulness; fidelity to truth
दुर्वृत्तम्durvṛttamevil conduct; misdeeds; wickedness
धार्तराष्ट्राणाम्dhārtarāṣṭrāṇāmof the sons of Dhritarashtra (the Kauravas)
उक्तवान्uktavāntold; recounted
भगवान् ऋषिःbhagavān ṛṣiḥthe venerable sage (Vyasa)
विस्तरंvistaraṃoriginal form "vistaraṃ", added for full coverage of the word-by-word block
कुरुवंशस्यkuruvaṃśasyaoriginal form "kuruvaṃśasya", added for full coverage of the word-by-word block
गान्धार्याgāndhāryāoriginal form "gāndhāryā", added for full coverage of the word-by-word block
धर्मशीलताम्dharmaśīlatāmoriginal form "dharmaśīlatām", added for full coverage of the word-by-word block
प्रज्ञांprajñāṃoriginal form "prajñāṃ", added for full coverage of the word-by-word block
धृतिंdhṛtiṃoriginal form "dhṛtiṃ", added for full coverage of the word-by-word block
सम्यग्samyagoriginal form "samyag", added for full coverage of the word-by-word block
द्वैपायनोdvaipāyanooriginal form "dvaipāyano", added for full coverage of the word-by-word block
ऽब्रवीत्'bravītoriginal form "'bravīt", added for full coverage of the word-by-word block
माहात्म्यंmāhātmyaṃoriginal form "māhātmyaṃ", added for full coverage of the word-by-word block
पाण्डवानांpāṇḍavānāṃoriginal form "pāṇḍavānāṃ", added for full coverage of the word-by-word block
दुर्वृत्तंdurvṛttaṃoriginal form "durvṛttaṃ", added for full coverage of the word-by-word block
At the heart of everything Vyasa related stands "the greatness of Vasudeva" — Lord Krishna. This is the true axis of the Mahabharata: at its core it is a glorification of the Supreme (vāsudevasya māhātmyam). Around Him gather the virtues of His devotees — the piety of Gandhari, the wisdom of Vidura, the steadfastness of Kunti, the truthfulness of the Pandavas — and, in contrast, the misdeeds of the Kauravas. Here the main point is revealed: the true subject of the epic is not war or politics, but the Lord and the dharma of devotion. The Pandavas shine because they are devotees of Krishna; the sons of Dhritarashtra perish because they set themselves against Him. To hear the Mahabharata rightly, therefore, means to turn the mind toward Vasudeva.