Mahabharata 1.140.51 — Adi Parva, Adhyaya 140, Shloka 51

Hiḍimba’s Approach and Hiḍimbā’s Warning to Bhīmasena (हिडिम्बागमनम् / हिडिम्बा-भयवचनम्)

Devanagari script

लुब्धमर्थप्रदानेन सम॑ न्यूनं तथौजसा । एवं ते कथितं राजज्शृणु चाप्यपरं तथा

Transliteration

lubdham arthapradānena samaṁ nyūnaṁ tathaujasā | evaṁ te kathitaṁ rājan śṛṇu cāpy aparaṁ tathā ||

Translation

Kaṇika sprach: „Den Gierigen gewinne durch das Gewähren von Reichtum; den Gleichrangigen halte durch Ausgleich in Schach; und den Schwächeren bezwinge durch die Zurschaustellung von Macht. O König, so habe ich dir eine politisch geleitete Handlungsweise beschrieben. Nun höre auch, was ich weiter zu sagen habe.“

Word by Word

• लुब्धम्: the greedy (man)
• लुब्धम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: लुब्ध
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• अर्थ-प्रदानेन: by giving wealth
• अर्थ-प्रदानेन: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: अर्थप्रदान
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental, Singular

• समम्: an equal (person)
• समम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• न्यूनम्: an inferior/weaker (person)
• न्यूनम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: न्यून
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• तथा: likewise/so
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा

• ओजसा: by strength/valor
• ओजसा: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: ओजस्
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental, Singular

• एवम्: thus
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एवम्

• ते: to you
• ते: Sampradana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: युष्मद्
• Form: —, Dative, Singular

• कथितम्: has been told/said
• Type: Verb
• Root: कथित
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• राजन्: O king
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन्
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• शृणु: hear/listen
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु
• Form: Imperative, Second, Singular

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• अपि: also/even
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि

• अपरम्: another (thing)
• अपरम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अपर
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• तथा: likewise/so
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा

Speaker

कणिक उवाच

Characters & Entities

• कणिक (Kanika)
• राजन् (the King, addressed as rājan)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Kanika outlines a pragmatic, policy-oriented approach to governance: use gifts to sway the greedy, diplomacy/conciliation to manage equals, and force to control the weaker—then signals that more counsel will follow.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Adi Parva, Kanika is speaking to a king and delivering a sequence of statecraft instructions; this verse concludes one set of tactics and transitions to further advice.