Mahabharata · 2.42.25–26
॥
Devanāgarī
अनभ्रे प्रववर्ष द्यौः पपात ज्वलिताशनिः ॥
कृष्णेन निहते चैद्ये चचाल च वसुंधरा ॥
ततः के चिन् महीपाला नाब्रुवंस् तत्र किं चन ॥
अतीतवाक्पथे काले प्रेक्षमाणा जनार्दनम् ॥
Transliteration (IAST)
anabhre pravavarṣa dyauḥ papāta jvalitāśaniḥ ||
kṛṣṇena nihate caidye cacāla ca vasuṃdharā ||
tataḥ ke cin mahīpālā nābruvaṃs tatra kiṃ cana ||
atītavākpathe kāle prekṣamāṇā janārdanam ||
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
अनभ्रे प्रववर्ष द्यौःanabhre pravavarṣa dyauḥFrom a cloudless sky the heavens rained down,
पपात ज्वलित-अशनिःpapāta jvalita-aśaniḥa blazing thunderbolt fell,
कृष्णेन निहते चैद्येkṛṣṇena nihate caidyewhen Chaidya was slain by Krishna,
चचाल च वसुंधराcacāla ca vasuṃdharāand the earth trembled;
ततः के चिन् महीपालाtataḥ ke cin mahīpālāthen some lords of the earth
न अब्रुवंस् तत्र किं चनna abruvaṃs tatra kiṃ canasaid nothing there,
अतीत-वाक्-पथे कालेatīta-vāk-pathe kālein a moment beyond words,
प्रेक्षमाणा जनार्दनम्prekṣamāṇā janārdanamgazing upon Janardana.
ज्वलिताशनिःjvalitāśaniḥoriginal form "jvalitāśaniḥ", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
नाब्रुवंस्nābruvaṃsoriginal form "nābruvaṃs", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
अतीतवाक्पथेatītavākpatheoriginal form "atītavākpathe", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
Translation
From a cloudless sky the heavens rained down, a blazing thunderbolt fell, and the earth trembled, when Chaidya was slain by Krishna. Then some lords of the earth said nothing there, in a moment beyond words, gazing upon Janardana.
Version
b4134bc4eb05 · published Jul 16, 2026, 3:49:21 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The very sky responds to what has occurred -- rain from a cloudless height, a thunderbolt, the trembling of the earth. It is telling that the Lord's act is accompanied by signs in the elements: creation itself bears witness to the will of the Creator. And the kings "said nothing, in a moment beyond words" -- before the manifest power of the Supreme, all speech falls silent. The verse teaches that there are events before which the only fitting response is reverent silence: where God visibly acts, there man falls mute. One who has beheld the hand of the Lord has nothing to add; and the stillness that gripped the assembly speaks more eloquently than any words about the One who stood before them.