Mahabharata — Shalya Parva, Shloka 28

Devanagari script

मा भवन्तोअत्र तप्यन्तां सौहदान्निधनेन मे । यदि वेदा: प्रमाणं वो जिता लोका मयाक्षया:

Transliteration

mā bhavanto ’tra tapyantāṃ sauhṛdān nidhanen me | yadi vedāḥ pramāṇaṃ vo jitā lokā mayākṣayāḥ ||

Translation

Sañjaya said: “Let none of you grieve here on account of affection for me because of my death. If, in your view, the Vedas are authoritative, then know that by my passing I have attained victory over imperishable worlds.”

Word by Word

• {'mā': 'do not (prohibitive particle)', 'bhavantaḥ': 'you (honorific plural)', 'atra': 'here, in this place', 'tapyantām': 'should suffer, grieve, be tormented (3rd pl. imperative/benedictive sense)', 'sauhṛdāt': 'from friendship/affection, out of goodwill', 'nidhanena': 'by death, through demise (instrumental)', 'me': 'of me / for me', 'yadi': 'if', 'vedāḥ': 'the Vedas', 'pramāṇam': 'authoritative means of knowledge, valid proof', 'vaḥ': 'for you, in your view', 'jitāḥ': 'conquered, won', 'lokāḥ': 'worlds, realms (often posthumous/heavenly realms)', 'mayā': 'by me', 'akṣayāḥ': 'imperishable, undecaying (worlds/realms)'}

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Vedas
• lokāḥ (worlds/realms)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Do not be overwhelmed by grief for the dead when one accepts Vedic testimony about posthumous destiny; the verse frames death as a transition toward imperishable realms, encouraging steadiness and detachment grounded in śāstra-pramāṇa.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Shalya Parva’s war context, Sañjaya reports a consolatory statement: those present are urged not to lament his death out of affection, and the authority of the Vedas is invoked to affirm attainment of akṣaya (imperishable) worlds.