Mahabharata · 2.25.19–20
॥
Devanāgarī
हयांस् तित्तिरिकल्माषाञ् शुकपत्रनिभान् अपि ॥
मयूरसदृशांश् चान्यान् सर्वान् अनिलरंहसः ॥
वृतः सुमहता राजन् बलेन चतुरङ्गिणा ॥
आजगाम पुनर् वीरः शक्रप्रस्थं पुरोत्तमम् ॥
Transliteration (IAST)
hayāṃs tittirikalmāṣāñ śukapatranibhān api ||
mayūrasadṛśāṃś cānyān sarvān anilaraṃhasaḥ ||
vṛtaḥ sumahatā rājan balena caturaṅgiṇā ||
ājagāma punar vīraḥ śakraprasthaṃ purottamam ||
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
हयांस् तित्तिरि-कल्माषाञ्hayāṃs tittiri-kalmāṣāñhorses of the tittiri-kalmasha kind,
शुक-पत्र-निभान् अपिśuka-patra-nibhān apiresembling a parrot's feather,
मयूर-सदृशांश् च अन्यान्mayūra-sadṛśāṃś ca anyānand others resembling a peacock,
सर्वान् अनिल-रंहसःsarvān anila-raṃhasaḥall swift as the wind,
वृतः सु-महता राजन्vṛtaḥ su-mahatā rājansurrounded by a very great, o king,
बलेन चतुर्-अङ्गिणाbalena catur-aṅgiṇāfourfold army,
आजगाम पुनर् वीरःājagāma punar vīraḥthe hero returned again
शक्रप्रस्थं पुर-उत्तमम्śakraprasthaṃ pura-uttamamto Shakraprastha, the best of cities.
तित्तिरिकल्माषाञ्tittirikalmāṣāñoriginal form "tittirikalmāṣāñ", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
शुकपत्रनिभान्śukapatranibhānoriginal form "śukapatranibhān", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
मयूरसदृशांश्mayūrasadṛśāṃśoriginal form "mayūrasadṛśāṃś", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
चान्यान्cānyānoriginal form "cānyān", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
अनिलरंहसःanilaraṃhasaḥoriginal form "anilaraṃhasaḥ", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
सुमहताsumahatāoriginal form "sumahatā", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
चतुरङ्गिणाcaturaṅgiṇāoriginal form "caturaṅgiṇā", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
पुरोत्तमम्purottamamoriginal form "purottamam", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
Translation
— horses of the tittiri-kalmasha kind, resembling a parrot's feather, and others resembling a peacock, all swift as the wind — surrounded by a very great fourfold army, o king, the hero returned once more to Shakraprastha, the best of cities.
Version
8f1688386b39 · published Jul 16, 2026, 3:28:50 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The campaign closes with a return: having reached the edge of the world, the gates of the forbidden, the hero turns homeward. It is significant that the crown of conquest is not settling in conquered lands but returning with the fruits to one's own center. Thus the meaning of all righteous labor reveals itself: it is undertaken not in order to go far away, but to bring what has been gathered home, to the common cause. The verse teaches that even the greatest journey finds its completion only in return; what has been scattered to the four quarters must converge again as one — at the throne, for the sake of sacrifice.