The Mahabharata is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India, the other being the Ramayana. Among the principal works and stories in the Mahabharata are the Bhagavad Gita, the story of Damayanti, and the Rishyasringa. The Mahabharata is the longest known epic poem and has been described as “the longest poem ever written”. Its longest version consists of over 100,000 shloka or over 200,000 individual verse lines (each shloka is a couplet), and long prose passages. Listed are few famous Mahabharata Quotes in Sanskrit and its meaning.
Mahabharata Quotes – That Defines Life
कर्मणयेवाधिकारस्ते मा फलेषु कदाचन।
मा कर्मफलहेतुर्भूर्मा ते सङ्गोऽस्त्वकर्मणि ॥
“Karmanye Vadhikaraste, Ma phaleshou kada chana,
Ma Karma Phala Hetur Bhurmatey Sangostva Akarmani”
“You have the right to perform your actions, but you are not entitled to the fruits of the actions. Do not let the fruit be the purpose of your actions, and therefore you won’t be attached to not doing your duty.”
बन्धुर् अत्मत्मनस् तस्य येनत्म्ऐवत्मन जितह् ।
अनत्मनस् तु सत्रुत्वे वर्तेतत्म्ऐव सत्रुवत् ॥
“bandhur atmatmanas tasya yenatmaivatmana jitah
anatmanas tu satrutve vartetatmaiva satruvat”
“For the being who has conquered the mind; that beings mind is the best of friends;
But for one whose mind is uncontrolled, that very mind acts as the worst of enemies.”
यदा यदा हि धर्मस्य ग्लानिर्भवति भारत ।
अभ्युत्थानमधर्मस्य तदात्मानं सृजाम्यहम् ॥
“yada yada hi dharmasya galnir bhavati bharata
abhyutthanam adharmasya tadatmanam srjamy aham”
“Whenever and wherever a decline of righteousness and a predominance of unrighteousness prevails; At that time I manifest Myself personally.”
अनाश्रितः कर्मफलं कार्यं कर्म करोति यः ।
स सन्न्यासी च योगी च न निरग्निर्न चाक्रियः ॥
“anasritah karma-phalam karyam karma karoti yah
sa sannyasi ca yogi ca na niragnir na cakriyah”
“One who enacts obligatory prescribed actions without expectation of the result of actions he is truly a renunciate and a follower of the science of uniting the individual consciousness with the Ultimate consciousness; not one without prescribed duties, nor one who merely renounces bodily activities.”
नकर्मनम् अनरम्भन् न्ऐश्कर्म्यम् पुरुसो स्नुते ।
न च सन्न्यसनद् एव सिद्धिम् समधिगच्छति ॥
“nakarmanam anarambhan naishkarmyam puruso snute
na ca sannyasanad eva siddhim samadhigacchati”
“A person can never achieve freedom from reactions to activities without first performing prescribed Vedic duties; neither can perfection be attained by renouncing them as well.”
