Mahabharata · 1.121.16–17
॥
Devanāgarī
स शुश्राव महात्मानं जामदग्न्यं परंतपम् ॥
ब्राह्मणेभ्यस् तदा राजन् दित्सन्तं वसु सर्वशः ॥
वनं तु प्रस्थितं रामं भारद्वाजस् तदाब्रवीत् ॥
आगतं वित्तकामं मां विद्धि द्रोणं द्विजर्षभम् ॥
Transliteration (IAST)
sa śuśrāva mahātmānaṃ jāmadagnyaṃ paraṃtapam ||
brāhmaṇebhyas tadā rājan ditsantaṃ vasu sarvaśaḥ ||
vanaṃ tu prasthitaṃ rāmaṃ bhāradvājas tadābravīt ||
āgataṃ vittakāmaṃ māṃ viddhi droṇaṃ dvijarṣabham ||
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
सः शुश्राव महात्मानं जामदग्न्यं परंतपम्saḥ śuśrāva mahātmānaṃ jāmadagnyaṃ paraṃtapamhe heard that the great-souled son of Jamadagni (Parashurama), scourge of foes,
ब्राह्मणेभ्यः तदा राजन् दित्सन्तं वसु सर्वशःbrāhmaṇebhyaḥ tadā rājan ditsantaṃ vasu sarvaśaḥwas then, O king, giving away all his wealth to brahmins;
वनं तु प्रस्थितं रामं भारद्वाजः तदा अब्रवीत्vanaṃ tu prasthitaṃ rāmaṃ bhāradvājaḥ tadā abravītto Rama (Parashurama), as he was setting out for the forest, the son of Bharadvaja then said:
आगतं वित्तकामं मां विद्धि द्रोणं द्विजर्षभम्āgataṃ vittakāmaṃ māṃ viddhi droṇaṃ dvijarṣabham"know me as Drona, a bull among the twice-born, come here desiring wealth"
सsaoriginal form "sa", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
ब्राह्मणेभ्यस्brāhmaṇebhyasoriginal form "brāhmaṇebhyas", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
भारद्वाजस्bhāradvājasoriginal form "bhāradvājas", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
तदाब्रवीत्tadābravītoriginal form "tadābravīt", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
Translation
"He heard that the great-souled son of Jamadagni, scourge of foes, was then, O king, giving away all his wealth to brahmins. To Rama, as he was setting out for the forest, Drona then said: 'Know me as Drona, a bull among the twice-born, come here desiring wealth.'"
Version
e8cbe86739b2 · published Jul 12, 2026, 4:53:32 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
Here Drona, driven by need, seeks gifts from the generous Parashurama. Notable is that the great brahmin-warrior Parashurama is known for giving away all his wealth to brahmins: his generosity is legendary. Notable too is Drona's situation: though wondrously born and learned, he is nonetheless poor and goes to beg -- a reminder that even the worthiest sometimes endure want. It is seen here that need in itself does not dishonor a brahmin, so long as he seeks what is permitted, and from one who is worthy. Thus the scripture leads to a decisive moment: Drona will come to Rama for wealth -- but will obtain something incomparably greater than gold.