Mahabharata · 1.219.6–7
॥
Devanāgarī
पिशाचान् पक्षिणो नागान् पशूंश् चापि सहस्रशः ॥
निघ्नंश् चरति वार्ष्णेयः कालवत् तत्र भारत ॥
क्षिप्तं क्षिप्तं हि तच् चक्रं कृष्णस्यामित्रघातिनः ॥
हत्वानेकानि सत्त्वानि पाणिम् एति पुनः पुनः ॥
Transliteration (IAST)
piśācān pakṣiṇo nāgān paśūṃś cāpi sahasraśaḥ ||
nighnaṃś carati vārṣṇeyaḥ kālavat tatra bhārata ||
kṣiptaṃ kṣiptaṃ hi tac cakraṃ kṛṣṇasyāmitraghātinaḥ ||
hatvānekāni sattvāni pāṇim eti punaḥ punaḥ ||
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
पिशाचान् पक्षिणः नागान् पशून् च अपि सहस्रशःpiśācān pakṣiṇaḥ nāgān paśūn ca api sahasraśaḥpishachas, birds, nagas, and beasts by the thousands,
निघ्नन् चरति वार्ष्णेयः कालवत् तत्र भारतnighnan carati vārṣṇeyaḥ kālavat tatra bhārataslaying, Varshneya moved there, like Death itself, O Bharata;
क्षिप्तं क्षिप्तं हि तत् चक्रं कृष्णस्य अमित्रघातिनःkṣiptaṃ kṣiptaṃ hi tat cakraṃ kṛṣṇasya amitraghātinaḥfor that disc of Krishna, slayer of foes, hurled again and again,
हत्वा अनेकानि सत्त्वानि पाणिम् एति पुनः पुनःhatvā anekāni sattvāni pāṇim eti punaḥ punaḥhaving struck down many creatures, returns to his hand again and again;
पक्षिणोpakṣiṇooriginal form "pakṣiṇo", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
पशूंश्paśūṃśoriginal form "paśūṃś", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
चापिcāpioriginal form "cāpi", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
निघ्नंश्nighnaṃśoriginal form "nighnaṃś", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
तच्tacoriginal form "tac", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
कृष्णस्यामित्रघातिनःkṛṣṇasyāmitraghātinaḥoriginal form "kṛṣṇasyāmitraghātinaḥ", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
हत्वानेकानिhatvānekānioriginal form "hatvānekāni", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
Translation
"Slaying pishachas, birds, nagas, and beasts by the thousands, Varshneya moved there like Death itself, O Bharata; for that disc of Krishna, slayer of foes, hurled again and again, having struck down many creatures, returns to his hand again and again."
Version
f629e7b63e64 · published Jul 12, 2026, 6:11:48 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
Here the Lord shows the face of Time-as-Death. It is telling that Krishna is likened to "Death itself [Kala]": the Lord is Time, which devours the worlds. Thus it is revealed that Krishna is both the giver and the taker of life, master over death. So does scripture show the Lord's fearsome countenance; and the tireless disc is an image of His unrelenting will.