Mahabharata · 2.41.32–33
॥
Devanāgarī
एष तिष्ठति गोविन्दः पूजितो ऽस्माभिर् अच्युतः ॥
यस्य वस् त्वरते बुद्धिर् मरणाय स माधवम् ॥
कृष्णम् आह्वयताम् अद्य युद्धे शार्ङ्गगदाधरम् ॥
यावद् अस्यैव देवस्य देहं विशतु पातितः ॥
Transliteration (IAST)
eṣa tiṣṭhati govindaḥ pūjito 'smābhir acyutaḥ ||
yasya vas tvarate buddhir maraṇāya sa mādhavam ||
kṛṣṇam āhvayatām adya yuddhe śārṅgagadādharam ||
yāvad asyaiva devasya dehaṃ viśatu pātitaḥ ||
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
एष तिष्ठति गोविन्दःeṣa tiṣṭhati govindaḥ"here stands Govinda,
पूजितो अस्माभिर् अच्युतःpūjito asmābhir acyutaḥhonored by us, Achyuta;
यस्य वस् त्वरते बुद्धिर्yasya vas tvarate buddhirwhoever among you has a mind hastening
मरणाय स माधवम्maraṇāya sa mādhavamtoward death, let him Madhava —
कृष्णम् आह्वयताम् अद्यkṛṣṇam āhvayatām adyaKrishna — now call
युद्धे शार्ङ्ग-गदा-धरम्yuddhe śārṅga-gadā-dharamto battle, the bearer of the bow Sharnga and the mace, —
यावद् अस्य एव देवस्यyāvad asya eva devasyaso that into this very god's
देहं विशतु पातितःdehaṃ viśatu pātitaḥbody he may enter, having been struck down".
ऽस्माभिर्'smābhiroriginal form "'smābhir", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
शार्ङ्गगदाधरम्śārṅgagadādharamoriginal form "śārṅgagadādharam", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
अस्यैवasyaivaoriginal form "asyaiva", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
Translation
"Here stands Govinda, Achyuta, honored by us; whoever among you has a mind hastening toward death, let him now call to battle Madhava — Krishna, bearer of the bow Sharnga and the mace — so that, struck down by Him, he may enter into the body of this very god."
Version
8ee6eb5ce210 · published Jul 16, 2026, 3:49:21 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The conclusion is astonishing: to challenge Krishna to battle means "to enter into the body of this very god." It is telling that even death at the Lord's hand is not destruction but attainment: one slain by Him enters into Him, reaching what even great feats of austerity do not grant. The verse reveals the deepest mystery of mercy: Krishna is so gracious that even the enemy who falls by His hand is not cast down but drawn into Him. Bhishma is not threatening the insolent — he is, in effect, offering them the highest gift: whoever craves death should seek it at the hands of the Lord, for such a death is a gateway to Him. And the fate awaiting Shishupala is not mere execution but an unlooked-for deliverance through enmity.