Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 13

Dāna-Śreṣṭhatā: Abhaya, Anugraha, and the Ethics of Honoring the Worthy (दानश्रेष्ठता: अभय-अनुग्रह-विप्रपूजा)

Devanagari script

ततस्ते कुलनाशार्थमहं त्वां समुपागत: । चिकीर्षन्‌ कुशिकोच्छेदं संदिधक्षु: कुलं तव

Transliteration

tataste kulanāśārtham ahaṃ tvāṃ samupāgataḥ | cikīrṣan kuśikocchedaṃ saṃdidhakṣuḥ kulaṃ tava ||

Translation

Pagkaraan, upang wasakin ang iyong angkan, lumapit ako sa iyo—nagnanais bunutin sa ugat ang lahing Kuśika at matatag ang pasyang sunugin ang iyong sambahayan hanggang maging abo.

Word by Word

• ततः: then/thereupon
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः
• Form: Avyaya

• ते: to you
• ते: Sampradana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: युष्मद्
• Form: Gender: —, Case: Dative, Number: Singular

• कुलनाशार्थम्: for the purpose of destroying (your) lineage
• कुलनाशार्थम्: Prayojana
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुल-नाश-अर्थ
• Form: Gender: Masculine, Case: Accusative, Number: Singular

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: अस्मद्
• Form: Gender: —, Case: Nominative, Number: Singular

• त्वाम्: you
• त्वाम्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: युष्मद्
• Form: Gender: —, Case: Accusative, Number: Singular

• समुपागतः: having come/arrived
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-उप-आ-गम्
• Form: Kridanta: Past active participle, Gender: Masculine, Case: Nominative, Number: Singular

• चिकीर्षन्: wishing to do/intent on doing
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (चिकीर्ष्-Desiderative)
• Form: Kridanta: Present active participle (desiderative), Gender: Masculine, Case: Nominative, Number: Singular

• कुशिकोच्छेदम्: the extirpation of the Kushika (line)
• कुशिकोच्छेदम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुशिक-उच्छेद
• Form: Gender: Masculine, Case: Accusative, Number: Singular

• संदिधक्षुः: wishing to burn
• Type: Verb
• Root: दह् (सन्-Desiderative: दिधक्ष्)
• Form: Kridanta: Desiderative present active participle, Gender: Masculine, Case: Nominative, Number: Singular

• कुलम्: lineage/family
• कुलम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुल
• Form: Gender: Neuter, Case: Accusative, Number: Singular

• तव: your
• तव: Sambandha
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: युष्मद्
• Form: Gender: —, Case: Genitive, Number: Singular

Speaker

च्यवन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• च्यवन (Cyavana)
• कुशिक (Kuśika)
• कुल (lineage/clan)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how wrath and the desire for collective punishment can escalate into intentions of total annihilation of a lineage, raising a dharmic question: even when wronged, is it righteous to seek indiscriminate destruction of an entire family line?

What is happening in the narrative?

Cyavana tells the listener that, after hearing something that provoked him, he approached with the explicit intention of destroying the listener’s clan—aiming to extirpate the Kuśika line and metaphorically (or literally) burn the family to ashes.