Mahabharata — Shalya Parva, Shloka 73

Chapter 59: Baladeva’s Censure, Keśava’s Restraint, and Yudhiṣṭhira’s Moral Accounting

Devanagari script

तान्‌ वयं प्रतिनृत्याम: पुनर्गौरिति गौरिति । जिन मूर्खोने पहले हमें “बैल-बैल' कहकर नृत्य किया था, आज उन्हें “बैल-बैल' कहकर उस अपमानका बदला लेते हुए हम भी प्रसन्नतासे नाच रहे हैं

Transliteration

tān vayaṁ pratinṛtyāmaḥ punar gaur iti gaur iti |

Translation

तान्वयं प्रतिनृत्यामः पुनर्गौरिति गौरिति। ये मूढाः पूर्वं नः ‘गौरि गौरि’ इति नृत्यन्तोऽपहासं चक्रुः, तेषामपमानस्य प्रतिकारार्थं वयमपि अद्य ‘गौरि गौरि’ इति पुनः पुनर्नृत्यामः प्रमुदिताः॥

Word by Word

• तान्: them
• तान्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• वयम्: we
• वयम्: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: अस्मद्
• Form: Common, Nominative, Plural

• प्रतिनृत्यामः: we dance back / we dance in return (mockingly)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्रति-नृत्
• Form: Present, Indicative, First, Plural, Parasmaipada

• पुनः: again
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुनः

• गौरिति: "gauḥ"—'cow/ox!' (as a taunt), thus
• Type: Noun (quoted word)
• Root: गो
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular, इति indicates quotation; here 'गौः' is used as a cry/taunt 'cow/ox!'

• गौरिति: "gauḥ"—'cow/ox!' (repeated), thus
• Type: Noun (quoted word)
• Root: गो
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular, repetition for emphasis; with इति as quotation marker

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sanjaya

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how humiliation in war easily turns into retaliatory mockery: insult invites counter-insult, showing the ethical danger of letting anger and wounded pride govern speech and conduct.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sanjaya reports a scene of derision: one side had earlier mocked the other by dancing and shouting “gaur, gaur” (“Ox! Ox!”). Now the mocked party, feeling the tables have turned, returns the same taunt while dancing in triumph.