Mahabharata 4.20.3 — Virata Parva, Adhyaya 20, Shloka 3

Bhīma–Draupadī Saṃvāda on Restraint, Protection, and the Kīcaka Threat

Virāṭa-parva, Adhyāya 20

Devanagari script

अनित्या किल मर्त्यनामर्थसिद्धिर्जयाजयौ । इति कृत्वा प्रतीक्षामि भर्तृणामुदयं पुन:

Transliteration

anityā kila martyānām artha-siddhir jayājayau | iti kṛtvā pratīkṣāmi bhartṝṇām udayaṃ punaḥ ||

Translation

“诚然，凡人之中，所求之成与不成，胜与败，皆无常不定，终不恒久。怀此明悟，我等待我诸夫君再度兴起、复归其位。”

Word by Word

• अनित्या: impermanent
• अनित्या: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अनित्य
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• किल: indeed/it is said
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: किल

• मर्त्यानाम्: of mortals
• मर्त्यानाम्: Sambandha
• Type: Noun
• Root: मर्त्य
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Plural

• अर्थसिद्धिः: attainment of aims/success
• अर्थसिद्धिः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: अर्थसिद्धि
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• जयाजयौ: victory and defeat
• जयाजयौ: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: जय + अजय
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Dual

• इति: thus
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति

• कृत्वा: having done (having thought/considered)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ
• Form: क्त्वा (absolutive/gerund), Active

• प्रतीक्षामि: I wait/expect
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्रति-ईक्ष्
• Form: Present, Indicative, Parasmaipada, First, Singular

• भर्तॄणाम्: of (my) husbands/lords
• भर्तॄणाम्: Sambandha
• Type: Noun
• Root: भर्तृ
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Plural

• उदयम्: rise/prosperity
• उदयम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: उदय
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

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

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• bhartṛ (the husbands—contextually the Pāṇḍavas)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Human success and failure—victory and defeat—are unstable and change with time; recognizing this impermanence supports patience, resilience, and steadfast hope rather than despair.

What is happening in the narrative?

A speaker expresses a reflective resolve: understanding that worldly outcomes fluctuate, she chooses to wait confidently for her husbands’ renewed prosperity and return to ascendancy.