Mahabharata 3.120.21 — Vana Parva, Adhyaya 120, Shloka 21

Sātyaki’s Call for Intervention and Yudhiṣṭhira’s Vow-Bound Restraint (सात्यकिवाक्यं—धर्मराजस्य धैर्यनिश्चयः)

Devanagari script

ततो<भिमन्यु: पृथिवीं प्रशास्तु यावद्‌ व्रतं धर्मभृतां वरिष्ठ: । युधिष्ठिर: पारयते महात्मा द्यूते यथोक्त कुरुसत्तमेन

Transliteration

tato 'bhimanyuḥ pṛthivīṃ praśāstu yāvad vrataṃ dharmabhṛtāṃ variṣṭhaḥ | yudhiṣṭhiraḥ pārayate mahātmā dyūte yathoktaṃ kurusattamena ||

Translation

Then (Balarāma said): “Let Abhimanyu govern the earth until the great-souled Yudhiṣṭhira—foremost among upholders of dharma—has fully completed the vow he undertook, as declared at the time of the dice-game by that best of the Kurus.”

Word by Word

• {'tataḥ': 'then, thereafter', 'abhimanyuḥ': 'Abhimanyu (son of Arjuna)', 'pṛthivīm': 'the earth

• the kingdom/realm', 'praśāstu': 'let him rule/govern (imperative/optative sense)', 'yāvat': 'as long as

• until', 'vratam': 'vow, solemn observance, pledged undertaking', 'dharmabhṛtām': 'of the upholders/bearers of dharma', 'variṣṭhaḥ': 'the श्रेष्ठ/foremost, best', 'yudhiṣṭhiraḥ': 'Yudhiṣṭhira', 'pārayate': 'brings to completion

• carries through', 'mahātmā': 'great-souled, noble-minded', 'dyūte': 'in the dice-game

• at gambling', 'yathoktam': 'as was said/declared

• according to what was stated', 'kurusattamena': 'by the best of the Kurus (an epithet

Speaker

बलदेव उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Baladeva (Balarama)
• Abhimanyu
• Yudhisthira
• Kuru (dynasty/lineage)
• Dyuta (the dice-game episode)
• Prithivi (the earth/kingdom)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

A ruler’s legitimacy is tied to dharma: solemn vows must be honored even when inconvenient, and governance should be arranged so that social order continues without forcing a breach of pledged duty.

What is happening in the narrative?

Balarāma proposes an interim arrangement: Abhimanyu should govern the realm while Yudhiṣṭhira completes the vow he accepted during the dice-game, thereby preserving both political stability and fidelity to a binding pledge.