Mahabharata · 7.7.20–21
॥
Devanāgarī
तं कार्मुकमहावेगम् अस्त्रज्वलितपावकम् ॥
द्रोणम् आसादयां चक्रुः पाञ्चालाः पाण्डवैः सह ॥
तान् वै सरथहस्त्यश्वान् प्राहिणोद् यमसादनम् ॥
द्रोणो ऽचिरेणाकरोच् च महीं शोणितकर्दमाम् ॥
Transliteration (IAST)
taṃ kārmukamahāvegam astrajvalitapāvakam ||
droṇam āsādayāṃ cakruḥ pāñcālāḥ pāṇḍavaiḥ saha ||
tān vai sarathahastyaśvān prāhiṇod yamasādanam ||
droṇo 'cireṇākaroc ca mahīṃ śoṇitakardamām ||
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
तम्tamhim [Drona]; that one
कार्मुकमहावेगम्kārmukamahāvegam[him] whose bow is swift; with a bow of great force
अस्त्रज्वलितपावकम्astrajvalitapāvakam[him] whose weapons are [like] blazing fire; with spells [blazing] like fire
द्रोणम्droṇamDrona; Drona
आसादयाम्āsādayāmapproached [came upon]; [aux.: reached]
चक्रुःcakruḥ[auxiliary verb]; [made]
पाञ्चालाःpāñcālāḥthe Panchalas; [the warriors of] Panchala
पाण्डवैःpāṇḍavaiḥwith the Pandavas; [together] with the Pandavas
सहsahatogether; with
तान्tānthem; those
वैvaiindeed; verily
सरथहस्त्यश्वान्sarathahastyaśvānwith chariots, elephants and horses; together with chariots, elephants and horses
प्राहिणोत्prāhiṇotsent [dispatched]; sent off
यमसादनम्yamasādanamto the abode of Yama; [to] the dwelling of Death
द्रोणःdroṇaḥDrona
अचिरेणacireṇasoon [in a short time]; swiftly
अकरोत्akarotmade [turned]; transformed
चcaand; also
महीम्mahīmthe earth; [the whole] earth
शोणितकर्दमाम्śoṇitakardamāminto a mire of blood; into a swamp of blood
Translation
Him, [Drona,] with a bow of great force, with spells blazing like fire, the Panchalas together with the Pandavas approached. Them, together with their chariots, elephants and horses, Drona sent to the abode of Yama, and soon turned the earth into a mire of blood.
Version
973ea7f228b9 · published Jul 19, 2026, 2:46:26 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The earth turned "into a swamp of blood" is the ultimate image of the devastation wrought by war: what nourished and sustained the living is now soaked with their blood. Drona, whose spells "blaze like fire," shows a power capable of turning the world into ruin in a brief span. But precisely the proportion of destruction to the weight of the sin that begot it exposes the madness of the feud: for the sake of a kingdom for one ambitious man, the earth is turned into a mire. The verse teaches that war carried to its limit defiles the very earth, our nurse; that the greatest strength given over to slaughter is measured not by glory but by the blood shed; and that the bloody mire of the battlefield is a visible verdict upon those who led nations into fratricide.