Mahabharata · 1.202.24–25
॥
Devanāgarī
निवृत्तकृषिगोरक्षा विध्वस्तनगराश्रमा ॥
अस्थिकङ्कालसंकीर्णा भूर् बभूवोग्रदर्शना ॥
निवृत्तपितृकार्यं च निर्वषट्कारमङ्गलम् ॥
जगत् प्रतिभयाकारं दुष्प्रेक्ष्यम् अभवत् तदा ॥
Transliteration (IAST)
nivṛttakṛṣigorakṣā vidhvastanagarāśramā ||
asthikaṅkālasaṃkīrṇā bhūr babhūvogradarśanā ||
nivṛttapitṛkāryaṃ ca nirvaṣaṭkāramaṅgalam ||
jagat pratibhayākāraṃ duṣprekṣyam abhavat tadā ||
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
निवृत्तकृषिगोरक्षा विध्वस्तनगराश्रमाnivṛttakṛṣigorakṣā vidhvastanagarāśramāwith farming and cattle-herding ceased, its cities and hermitages destroyed,
अस्थिकङ्कालसंकीर्णा भूः बभूव उग्रदर्शनाasthikaṅkālasaṃkīrṇā bhūḥ babhūva ugradarśanāstrewn with bones and skeletons, the earth became terrible to look upon;
निवृत्तपितृकार्यं च निर्वषट्कारमङ्गलम्nivṛttapitṛkāryaṃ ca nirvaṣaṭkāramaṅgalamwith the rites for the ancestors ceased, without the cry of "vaṣaṭ" and the blessed [rites],
जगत् प्रतिभयाकारं दुष्प्रेक्ष्यम् अभवत् तदाjagat pratibhayākāraṃ duṣprekṣyam abhavat tadāthe world took on a fearsome appearance, unbearable to behold then;
भूर्bhūroriginal form "bhūr", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
बभूवोग्रदर्शनाbabhūvogradarśanāoriginal form "babhūvogradarśanā", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
Translation
"With farming and cattle-herding ceased, its cities and hermitages destroyed, strewn with bones and skeletons, the earth became terrible to look upon; with the rites for the ancestors ceased, without the cry of 'vaṣaṭ' and the blessed rites, the world took on a fearsome appearance, unbearable to behold then."
Version
8eb573da5946 · published Jul 12, 2026, 6:01:16 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
Here the earth turns into ashes strewn with bones. It is telling that the rites for the ancestors are broken off too: the bond between generations, the living and the departed, is severed. Here is the lesson: without sacrifice and ritual the very fabric of creation is torn — the bond with gods and ancestors. Thus the scripture shows the horror of a godforsaken earth; and its sight is unbearable to behold.