संस्कृतIASTअर्थ
सम्राट्-गुणम् अभीप्सन् वैsamrāṭ-guṇam abhīpsan vaidesiring the qualities of a sovereign,
युष्मान् स्व-अर्थ-परायणःyuṣmān sva-artha-parāyaṇaḥyou—[I,] devoted to my own self-interest—
कथम् प्रहिणुयाम् भीमम्katham prahiṇuyām bhīmamhow shall I send Bhima [into battle]
बलात् केवल-साहसात्balāt kevala-sāhasātby force, out of sheer recklessness?
भीम-अर्जुनौ उभौ नेत्रेbhīma-arjunau ubhau netreBhima and Arjuna are both [my] eyes,
मनः मन्ये जनार्दनम्manaḥ manye janārdanamJanardana I consider [my] mind;
मनः-चक्षुः-विहीनस्यmanaḥ-cakṣuḥ-vihīnasyaof one deprived of mind and eyes
कीदृशम् जीवितम् भवेत्kīdṛśam jīvitam bhavetwhat would life be like?
युधिष्ठिरyudhiṣṭhiraoriginal form "yudhiṣṭhira", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
सम्राड्गुणम्samrāḍguṇamoriginal form "samrāḍguṇam", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
स्वार्थपरायणःsvārthaparāyaṇaḥoriginal form "svārthaparāyaṇaḥ", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
कथंkathaṃoriginal form "kathaṃ", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
प्रहिणुयांprahiṇuyāṃoriginal form "prahiṇuyāṃ", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
भीमंbhīmaṃoriginal form "bhīmaṃ", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
केवलसाहसात्kevalasāhasātoriginal form "kevalasāhasāt", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
भीमार्जुनाव्bhīmārjunāvoriginal form "bhīmārjunāv", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
मनोmanooriginal form "mano", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
मनश्चक्षुर्विहीनस्यmanaścakṣurvihīnasyaoriginal form "manaścakṣurvihīnasya", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
कीदृशंkīdṛśaṃoriginal form "kīdṛśaṃ", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
जीवितंjīvitaṃoriginal form "jīvitaṃ", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
Here the king's love for his kin outweighs his thirst for glory: his brothers are his eyes, Krishna his very mind. Tellingly, Yudhishthira refuses to purchase greatness at the risk of those he loves: the righteous heart prizes kinsmen more dearly than a crown. Scripture thus shows tenderness to be a virtue, even though here it tips toward excessive caution; what follows is the king voicing his fears.