Shloka 126

Devanagari script

तथैनं मनुजाः प्राहुर्भीमसेनं प्रियं तव । अथ केनानुभावेन सापत्नं जीवमिच्छसि,सभी मनुष्य भीमसेनको तुम्हारा प्रिय बतलाते हैं; उसे छोड़कर भला सौतेले भाई नकुलमें तुम कौन-सा सामर्थ्य देखकर उसे जिलाना चाहते हो?

Transliteration

tathainaṃ manujāḥ prāhur bhīmasenaṃ priyaṃ tava | atha kenānubhāvena sāpatnaṃ jīvam icchasi ||

Translation

“Assim dizem os homens: que Bhimasena é o mais querido para ti. Então, por que força ou excelência desejas devolver à vida Nakula—teu irmão rival, de outra mãe—deixando-o de lado?”

Word by Word

तथाthus, in that way

एनम्him

मनुजाःmen, people

प्राहुःsaid, call

भीमसेनम्Bhimasena

प्रियम्dear, beloved

तवof you, your

अथthen, now

केनby what? with what?

अनुभावेनpower, prowess, capability

सापत्नम्having a rival (co-wife); hostile; rivalrous

जीवम्alive, living

इच्छसिyou desire, you wish

Speaker

यक्ष उवाच

Characters & Entities

Yaksha

Yudhishthira

Bhimasena (Bhima)

Nakula

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse frames a moral test: true dharma is not guided by personal preference or emotional attachment (Bhima being most beloved), but by fairness, duty, and principled reasoning—especially when deciding whose welfare to prioritize.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Yaksha’s interrogation at the lake, the Yaksha challenges Yudhishthira’s choice to revive Nakula instead of the more beloved Bhima, pressing him to justify the decision in terms of merit, duty, and ethical consistency.