Mahabharata — Udyoga Parva, Shloka 26

Udyoga Parva Adhyāya 132 — Vidura’s Counsel on Udyama, Yaśas, and Kṣātra-Dharma

Devanagari script

यमेनमभिनन्देयुरमित्रा: पुरुष कृशम्‌

Transliteration

yamenam abhinandeyur amitrāḥ puruṣa kṛśam

Translation

ਹੇ ਪੁਰਖ! ਉਹ ਕਮਜ਼ੋਰ ਤੇ ਕ੍ਰਿਸ਼ ਹੋ ਕੇ, ਜਿਵੇਂ ਯਮ ਦੇ ਵੱਸ ਵਿੱਚ ਆ ਗਿਆ ਹੋਵੇ—ਇਹ ਵੇਖ ਕੇ ਉਸ ਦੇ ਵੈਰੀ ਖੁਸ਼ ਹੋਣ।

Word by Word

• यम्: whom
• यम्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: यद्
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• एनम्: this one / him
• एनम्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: इदम् (एतद्-प्रत्ययः: एनद्/एनम्)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• अभिनन्देयुः: would/should rejoice at, welcome, applaud
• अभिनन्देयुः: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: अभि-नन्द्
• Form: Optative (Vidhi-lin), Third, Plural, Parasmaipada

• अमित्राः: enemies
• अमित्राः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: अमित्र
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• पुरुष: O man (address)
• पुरुष: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुरुष
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• कृशम्: emaciated, weak, thin
• कृशम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृश
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

Speaker

वायुदेव उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vāyudeva
• Yama
• amitrāḥ (enemies)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse warns that moral and personal decline leads to loss of strength and reputation, empowering one’s enemies; it frames such degradation as akin to being delivered to Yama—death and dishonor.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vāyudeva speaks a harsh, admonitory line, invoking Yama and the joy of enemies to underscore the gravity of the situation and to shame the addressee away from weakness or ignoble conduct.