Shloka 8

मयस्य प्रतिकृतिः — Maya’s Offer and the Commissioning of the Sabhā

Devanagari script

न चापि तव संकल्पं मोघमिच्छामि दानव । कृष्णस्य क्रियतां किंचित्‌ तथा प्रतिकृतं मयि,दानव! साथ ही मैं यह भी नहीं चाहता कि तुम्हारा यह संकल्प व्यर्थ हो। इसलिये तुम भगवान्‌ श्रीकृष्णका कोई कार्य कर दो, इससे मेरे प्रति तुम्हारा कर्तव्य पूर्ण हो जायगा

Transliteration

na cāpi tava saṅkalpaṃ mogham icchāmi dānava | kṛṣṇasya kriyatāṃ kiñcit tathā pratikṛtaṃ mayi, dānava ||

Translation

ഹേ ദാനവാ! നിന്റെ സംकल्पം വ്യർത്ഥമാകണമെന്നു ഞാനും ആഗ്രഹിക്കുന്നില്ല. അതിനാൽ ശ്രീകൃഷ്ണനുവേണ്ടി ഏതെങ്കിലും സേവനം ചെയ്‌ക; അങ്ങനെ ചെയ്താൽ എനിക്കുള്ള നിന്റെ കടമ നിറവേറും.

Word by Word

• {'na': 'not', 'ca api': 'and also

• nor', 'tava': 'your', 'saṅkalpam': 'resolve, vow, intention', 'mogham': 'vain, fruitless, ineffective', 'icchāmi': 'I wish, I desire', 'dānava': 'O Dānava (address to a being of the Dānava lineage

• often used for an asura/daitya)', 'kṛṣṇasya': 'of Kṛṣṇa', 'kriyatām': 'let it be done

• please do (imperative/passive sense)', 'kiñcit': 'something, some small act', 'tathā': 'thus, in that manner', 'pratikṛtam': 'recompense, return, repayment

• requital of a favor', 'mayi': 'toward me

Speaker

अजुन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Arjuna
• Kṛṣṇa
• Dānava (addressee)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

A vow should not be rendered futile; ethical repayment of a debt is best fulfilled by directing one’s service toward a higher, worthy purpose—here, by serving Kṛṣṇa—so that gratitude becomes dharmic action rather than mere personal exchange.

What is happening in the narrative?

Arjuna addresses a figure called “Dānava,” acknowledging the other’s resolve and refusing to let it become pointless. He proposes a concrete way to complete the obligation owed to him: perform some task or service for Kṛṣṇa, which Arjuna treats as an appropriate and elevating form of repayment.