Mahabharata 1.140.52 — Adi Parva, Adhyaya 140, Shloka 52

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

Devanagari script

पुत्र: सखा वा भ्राता वा पिता वा यदि वा गुरु: । रिपुस्थानेषु वर्तन्तो हन्तव्या भूतिमिच्छता

Transliteration

putraḥ sakhā vā bhrātā vā pitā vā yadi vā guruḥ | ripusthāneṣu vartanto hantavyā bhūtim icchatā ||

Translation

カニカは言った。「子であれ、友であれ、兄弟であれ、父であれ、たとえ師であっても――敵の位地に立ち、敵として振る舞うなら、繁栄と権勢を求める王はこれを誅すべきである。」

Word by Word

• पुत्रः: son
• पुत्रः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुत्र
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• सखा: friend
• सखा: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: सखि
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• वा: or
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा

• भ्राता: brother
• भ्राता: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: भ्रातृ
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• वा: or
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा

• पिता: father
• पिता: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• वा: or
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा

• यदि: if
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यदि

• वा: or
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा

• गुरुः: teacher/elder
• गुरुः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: गुरु
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• रिपुस्थानेषु: in the positions/places of an enemy
• रिपुस्थानेषु: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: रिपुस्थान
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Plural

• वर्तन्तः: behaving/acting (being engaged)
• वर्तन्तः: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: वृत्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural, शतृ (present active participle)

• हन्तव्याः: to be slain / must be killed
• हन्तव्याः: Karma
• Type: Verb
• Root: हन्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural, तव्यत् (gerundive/obligative passive)

• भूतिम्: prosperity, power, wealth
• भूतिम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: भूति
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• इच्छता: by one desiring
• इच्छता: Karana
• Type: Verb
• Root: इष्
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Instrumental, Singular, शतृ (present active participle)

Speaker

कणिक उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Kaṇika
• son
• friend
• brother
• father
• guru (teacher/preceptor)
• king (implied)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse presents a hard-edged principle of rāja-nīti: loyalty to the stability and prosperity of the kingdom overrides personal relationships; anyone who effectively becomes an enemy is to be treated as such, even if they are close kin or a revered teacher.

What is happening in the narrative?

Kaṇika is giving strategic counsel, urging a ruler to prioritize state security and royal fortune. He frames the king’s duty in terms of eliminating threats without being restrained by familial or social bonds when those bonds turn adversarial.