Bhima Pleads for Peace

Verse 1 (5.73.1)

यथायथैव शान्तिः स्यात्कुरूणां मधुसूदन । तथातथैव भाषेथा मा स्म युद्धेन भीषयेः ॥

yathāyathaiva śāntiḥ syātkurūṇāṃ madhusūdana | tathātathaiva bhāṣethā mā sma yuddhena bhīṣayeḥ

Speak in whatever way will bring peace to the Kurus, Madhusudana. Do not frighten them with talk of war.

Verse 2 (5.73.2)

अमर्षी जातसंरम्भः श्रेयोद्वेषी महामनाः । नोग्रं दुर्योधनो वाच्यः साम्नैवेनं समाचरेः ॥

amarṣī jātasaṃrambhaḥ śreyodveṣī mahāmanāḥ | nograṃ duryodhano vācyaḥ sāmnaivenaṃ samācareḥ

Duryodhana is intolerant, quick to rage, hostile to his own good, and proud. He must not be spoken to harshly; deal with him by conciliation.

Verse 3 (5.73.3)

प्रकृत्या पापसत्वश्च तुल्यचेतास्तु दस्युभिः । ऐश्वर्यमदमत्तश्च कृतवैरश्च पाण्डवैः ॥

prakṛtyā pāpasatvaśca tulyacetāstu dasyubhiḥ | aiśvaryamadamattaśca kṛtavairaśca pāṇḍavaiḥ

He is wicked by nature, at one in spirit with robbers, drunk with the pride of power, and he has made enemies of the Pandavas.

Verse 4 (5.73.4)

अदीर्घदर्शी निष्ठूरी क्षेप्ता क्रूरपराक्रमः । दीर्घमन्युरनेयश्च पापात्मा निकृतिप्रियः ॥

adīrghadarśī niṣṭhūrī kṣeptā krūraparākramaḥ | dīrghamanyuraneyaśca pāpātmā nikṛtipriyaḥ

He cannot see far ahead; he is harsh of speech, a reviler, cruel in his deeds, slow to let go of anger, unteachable, evil at heart and fond of deceit.

Verse 5 (5.73.5)

म्रियेतापि न भज्येत नैव जह्यात्स्वकं मतम् । तादृशेन शमः कृष्ण मन्ये परमदुष्करः ॥

mriyetāpi na bhajyeta naiva jahyātsvakaṃ matam | tādṛśena śamaḥ kṛṣṇa manye paramaduṣkaraḥ

He would sooner die than bend; he would never give up his own opinion. With such a man, Krishna, I think peace is very hard to make.

Verse 6 (5.73.6)

सुहृदामप्यवाचीनस्त्यक्तधर्मा प्रियानृतः । प्रतिहन्त्येव सुहृदां वाचश्चैव मनांसि च ॥

suhṛdāmapyavācīnastyaktadharmā priyānṛtaḥ | pratihantyeva suhṛdāṃ vācaścaiva manāṃsi ca

He goes against even his friends; he has cast off dharma and loves falsehood. He tramples on both the words and the feelings of those who wish him well.

Note on the text: Corrected प्रतिहन्त्ये → प्रतिहन्त्येव (misprint in Wikisource; dropped व, leaving the line a syllable short; critical edition pratihanty eva).

Verse 7 (5.73.7)

स मन्युवशमापन्नः स्वभावं दुष्टमास्थितः । स्वभावात्पापमभ्येति तृणैश्छन्न इवोरगः ॥

sa manyuvaśamāpannaḥ svabhāvaṃ duṣṭamāsthitaḥ | svabhāvātpāpamabhyeti tṛṇaiśchanna ivoragaḥ

Given over to anger and set in his wicked nature, he turns to evil by his very temper, like a snake hidden in the grass.

Verse 8 (5.73.8)

दुर्योधनो हि यत्सेनः सर्वथा विदितस्तव । यच्छीलो यत्स्वभावश्च यद्बलो यत्पराक्रमः ॥

duryodhano hi yatsenaḥ sarvathā viditastava | yacchīlo yatsvabhāvaśca yadbalo yatparākramaḥ

You know full well what Duryodhana's army is like, and his character, his nature, his strength and his valour.

Verse 9 (5.73.9)

पुरा प्रसन्नाः कुरवः सहपुत्रास्तथा वयम् । इन्द्रज्येष्ठा इवाभूम मोदमानाः सबान्धवाः ॥

purā prasannāḥ kuravaḥ sahaputrāstathā vayam | indrajyeṣṭhā ivābhūma modamānāḥ sabāndhavāḥ

In the past the Kurus and their sons were content, and so were we; we lived happily with our kin, like the gods with Indra as their eldest.

Verse 10 (5.73.10)

दुर्योधनस्य क्रोधेन भरता मधुसूदन । धक्ष्यन्ते शिशिरापाये वनानीव हुताशनैः ॥

duryodhanasya krodhena bharatā madhusūdana | dhakṣyante śiśirāpāye vanānīva hutāśanaiḥ

Through Duryodhana's wrath, Madhusudana, the Bharatas will be burned up, as forests are burned by fires when winter ends.

Verse 11 (5.73.11)

अष्टादशेमे राजानः प्रख्याता मधुसूदन । ये समुच्चिच्छिदुर्ज्ञातीन्सुहृदश्च सबान्धवान् ॥

aṣṭādaśeme rājānaḥ prakhyātā madhusūdana | ye samuccicchidurjñātīnsuhṛdaśca sabāndhavān

There are eighteen well-known kings, Madhusudana, who wiped out their own kinsmen, friends and relations.

Note on the text: Corrected प्रख्यात → प्रख्याता (misprint in Wikisource; dropped ा of the plural, leaving the line a syllable short; critical edition prakhyātā).

Verse 12 (5.73.12)

असुराणां समृद्धानां ज्वलतामिव तेजसा । पर्यायकाले धर्मस्य प्राप्ते कलिरजायत ॥

asurāṇāṃ samṛddhānāṃ jvalatāmiva tejasā | paryāyakāle dharmasya prāpte kalirajāyata

When the time came round for dharma to fail among the Asuras, prosperous as they were and blazing as if with energy, Kali was born among them.

Verse 13 (5.73.13)

हैहयानामुदावर्तो नीपानां जनमेजयः । बहुलस्तालजङ्घानां कृमीणामुद्धतो वसुः ॥

haihayānāmudāvarto nīpānāṃ janamejayaḥ | bahulastālajaṅghānāṃ kṛmīṇāmuddhato vasuḥ

Udavarta among the Haihayas, Janamejaya among the Nipas, Bahula among the Talajanghas, the arrogant Vasu among the Krimis,

Verse 14 (5.73.14)

अजबिन्दुः सुवीराणां सुराष्ट्राणां रुषर्द्धिकः । अर्कजश्च बलीहानां चीनानां धौतमूलकः ॥

ajabinduḥ suvīrāṇāṃ surāṣṭrāṇāṃ ruṣarddhikaḥ | arkajaśca balīhānāṃ cīnānāṃ dhautamūlakaḥ

Ajabindu among the Suviras, Rusharddhika among the Surashtras, Arkaja among the Balihas, Dhautamulaka among the Chinas,

Verse 15 (5.73.15)

हयग्रीवो विदेहानां वरयुश्च महौजसाम् । बाहुः सुन्दरवंशानां दीप्ताक्षाणां पुरूरवाः ॥

hayagrīvo videhānāṃ varayuśca mahaujasām | bāhuḥ sundaravaṃśānāṃ dīptākṣāṇāṃ purūravāḥ

Hayagriva among the Videhas, Varayu among the Mahaujasas, Bahu among the Sundaravamshas, Pururavas among the Diptakshas,

Verse 16 (5.73.16)

सहजश्चेदिमत्स्यानां प्रवीराणां वृषध्वजः । धारणश्चन्द्रवत्सानां मुकुटानां विगाहनः ॥

sahajaścedimatsyānāṃ pravīrāṇāṃ vṛṣadhvajaḥ | dhāraṇaścandravatsānāṃ mukuṭānāṃ vigāhanaḥ

Sahaja among the Chedis and Matsyas, Vrishadhvaja among the Praviras, Dharana among the Chandravatsas, Vigahana among the Mukutas,

Verse 17 (5.73.17)

शमश्च नन्दिवेगानामित्येते कुलपांसनाः । युगान्ते कृष्ण संभूताः कुलेषु पुरुषाधमाः ॥

śamaśca nandivegānāmityete kulapāṃsanāḥ | yugānte kṛṣṇa saṃbhūtāḥ kuleṣu puruṣādhamāḥ

and Shama among the Nandivegas: these were the disgraces of their families, the lowest of men, born into their lines at the end of an age, Krishna.

Verse 18 (5.73.18)

अप्ययं नः कुरूणां स्याद्युगान्ते कालसंभृतः । दुर्योधनः कुलाङ्गारो जघन्यः पापपूरुषः ॥

apyayaṃ naḥ kurūṇāṃ syādyugānte kālasaṃbhṛtaḥ | duryodhanaḥ kulāṅgāro jaghanyaḥ pāpapūruṣaḥ

So too Duryodhana, gathered up by Time at the end of an age, may be for us Kurus the firebrand of the family, the vilest of men, a wicked man.

Verse 19 (5.73.19)

तस्मान्मृदु शनैर्ब्रूया धर्मार्थसहितं हितम् । कामानुबद्धं बहुलं नोग्रमुग्रपराक्रमम् ॥

tasmānmṛdu śanairbrūyā dharmārthasahitaṃ hitam | kāmānubaddhaṃ bahulaṃ nogramugraparākramam

So speak to him gently and slowly, saying what is beneficial and in keeping with dharma and right purpose, mostly as he would wish, and not harshly to that man of fierce valour.

Verse 20 (5.73.20)

अपि दुर्योधनं कृष्ण सर्वे वयमधश्चराः । नीचैर्भूत्वाऽनुयास्यामो मा स्म नो भरता नशन् ॥

api duryodhanaṃ kṛṣṇa sarve vayamadhaścarāḥ | nīcairbhūtvā'nuyāsyāmo mā sma no bharatā naśan

Krishna, we would all even walk humbly beneath Duryodhana and follow him, if only the Bharatas do not perish.

Verse 21 (5.73.21)

अप्युदासीनवृत्तिः स्याद्यथा नः कुरुभिः सह । वासुदेव तथा कार्यं न कुरूननयः स्पृशेत् ॥

apyudāsīnavṛttiḥ syādyathā naḥ kurubhiḥ saha | vāsudeva tathā kāryaṃ na kurūnanayaḥ spṛśet

Vasudeva, act so that we may at least live with the Kurus as neutrals, and let no misfortune touch the Kurus.

Verse 22 (5.73.22)

वाच्यः पितामहो वृद्धो ये च कृष्ण सभासदः । भ्रातॄणामस्तु सौभ्रात्रं धार्तराष्ट्रः प्रशाम्यताम् ॥

vācyaḥ pitāmaho vṛddho ye ca kṛṣṇa sabhāsadaḥ | bhrātṝṇāmastu saubhrātraṃ dhārtarāṣṭraḥ praśāmyatām

Let the aged grandsire be told, Krishna, and those who sit in the assembly: let there be brotherly love among the brothers, and let Dhritarashtra's son be calmed.

Note on the text: Corrected समासदः → सभासदः (misprint in Wikisource; म for भ, critical edition sabhāsadaḥ).

Verse 23 (5.73.23)

अहमेतद्ब्रवीम्येवं राजा चैव प्रशंसति । अर्जुनो नैव युद्धार्थी भूयसी हि दयाऽर्जुने ॥

ahametadbravīmyevaṃ rājā caiva praśaṃsati | arjuno naiva yuddhārthī bhūyasī hi dayā'rjune

This is what I say, and the king approves of it too. Arjuna is no seeker of war, for there is great compassion in Arjuna.