Mahabharata · 1.156.1–2
॥
Devanāgarī
वैशंपायन उवाच
एतच् छ्रुत्वा तु कौन्तेयाः शल्यविद्धा इवाभवन् ॥
सर्वे चास्वस्थमनसो बभूवुस् ते महारथाः ॥
ततः कुन्ती सुतान् दृष्ट्वा विभ्रान्तान् गतचेतसः ॥
युधिष्ठिरम् उवाचेदं वचनं सत्यवादिनी ॥
Transliteration (IAST)
vaiśaṃpāyana uvāca
etac chrutvā tu kaunteyāḥ śalyaviddhā ivābhavan ||
sarve cāsvasthamanaso babhūvus te mahārathāḥ ||
tataḥ kuntī sutān dṛṣṭvā vibhrāntān gatacetasaḥ ||
yudhiṣṭhiram uvācedaṃ vacanaṃ satyavādinī ||
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
एतत् श्रुत्वा तु कौन्तेयाः शल्यविद्धाः इव अभवन्etat śrutvā tu kaunteyāḥ śalyaviddhāḥ iva abhavanhaving heard this, the sons of Kunti became as if pierced by arrow-points,
सर्वे च अस्वस्थमनसः बभूवुः ते महारथाःsarve ca asvasthamanasaḥ babhūvuḥ te mahārathāḥand all those great chariot-warriors became troubled in spirit;
ततः कुन्ती सुतान् दृष्ट्वा विभ्रान्तान् गतचेतसःtataḥ kuntī sutān dṛṣṭvā vibhrāntān gatacetasaḥthen Kunti, seeing her sons troubled, having lost the composure of mind,
युधिष्ठिरम् उवाच इदं वचनं सत्यवादिनीyudhiṣṭhiram uvāca idaṃ vacanaṃ satyavādinīshe who speaks truth, said this word to Yudhishthira:
वैशंपायनvaiśaṃpāyanaoriginal form "vaiśaṃpāyana", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
एतच्etacoriginal form "etac", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
छ्रुत्वाchrutvāoriginal form "chrutvā", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
शल्यविद्धाśalyaviddhāoriginal form "śalyaviddhā", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
इवाभवन्ivābhavanoriginal form "ivābhavan", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
चास्वस्थमनसोcāsvasthamanasooriginal form "cāsvasthamanaso", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
बभूवुस्babhūvusoriginal form "babhūvus", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
उवाचेदंuvācedaṃoriginal form "uvācedaṃ", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
Translation
Vaishampayana said: "Having heard this, the sons of Kunti became as if pierced by arrow-points, and all those great chariot-warriors became troubled in spirit. Then Kunti, seeing her sons troubled and their minds unsettled, she who speaks truth, said this word to Yudhishthira."
Version
36b58858f95c · published Jul 12, 2026, 5:19:51 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
Here the news of the wondrous maiden pierces the heart like arrows. The comparison "as if pierced by arrow-points" is telling: a single word about Draupadi disturbs the brothers' peace — so does that which is destined draw the heart to itself. Here is the working of hidden providence: the heart responds to its allotted share before the mind knows of it; the pull toward Draupadi is the call of what is foreordained. It is also telling that the mother at once notices the change in her sons: a mother's watchful love reads even a silent agitation. Thus the scripture shows that destiny announces itself through the movement of the heart; and the brothers' unease is the first sign that the threads of their lives have already been drawn toward the daughter of Drupada.