महाभारत · 7.53.15–16
॥
देवनागरी
ते मां रक्षत संग्रामे मा वो मूर्ध्नि धनंजयः ॥
पदं कृत्वाप्नुयाल् लक्ष्यं तस्माद् अत्र विधीयताम् ॥
अथ रक्षा न मे संख्ये क्रियते कुरुनन्दन ॥
अनुजानीहि मां राजन् गमिष्यामि गृहान् प्रति ॥
लिप्यंतरण (IAST)
te māṃ rakṣata saṃgrāme mā vo mūrdhni dhanaṃjayaḥ ||
padaṃ kṛtvāpnuyāl lakṣyaṃ tasmād atra vidhīyatām ||
atha rakṣā na me saṃkhye kriyate kurunandana ||
anujānīhi māṃ rājan gamiṣyāmi gṛhān prati ||
शब्दशः अर्थ
संस्कृतIASTअर्थ
ते माम् रक्षत संग्रामेte mām rakṣata saṃgrāmeyou protect me in the battle; you shield me in the fight
मा वः मूर्ध्निmā vaḥ mūrdhni[so that] not upon your heads; so that not over your heads
धनंजयः पदम् कृत्वाdhanaṃjayaḥ padam kṛtvāDhananjaya, having set his foot; Dhananjaya, stepping
आप्नुयात् लक्ष्यम्āpnuyāt lakṣyammay [not] reach the mark; would reach the mark
तस्मात् अत्र विधीयताम्tasmāt atra vidhīyatāmtherefore let provision be made for this; so let this be seen to
अथ रक्षा न मे संख्येatha rakṣā na me saṃkhyebut if protection for me in battle; but if no protection for me in the fight
क्रियते कुरुनन्दनkriyate kurunandanais not provided, O joy of the Kurus; is given, O joy of the Kurus
अनुजानीहि माम् राजन्anujānīhi mām rājangrant me leave, O king; grant me leave, sovereign
गमिष्यामि गृहान् प्रतिgamiṣyāmi gṛhān pratiI shall go toward home; I shall go home
अनुवाद
"Shield me in the battle, so that Dhananjaya, stepping over your heads, may not reach his mark; let provision be made for this. But if protection is not given to me in the fight, O joy of the Kurus, grant me leave, sovereign — I shall go home."
संस्करण
5623caecddec · प्रकाशित 19 जुल॰ 2026, 3:36:52 pm UTC
उपलब्ध भाषाएँRUENश्लोक बदलें इन कुंजियों से
The image "mā vaḥ mūrdhni padaṃ kṛtvā", "without stepping over your heads", lays bare the essence of the request: to save him means to put the defenders' own heads in the line of fire. Jayadratha bargains outright: either shield me with yourselves, or let me go. It is significant that the coward sets a condition, threatening to leave, and thereby subjects the common cause to his own fear. The verse teaches that cowardice is self-serving: it seeks safety at another's expense and is ready to wreck the common cause if refused its own personal security; concern for oneself crowds out all concern for the cause.