Mahabharata · 7.24.1–2
॥
Devanāgarī
संजय उवाच
महद् भैरवम् आसीन् नः संनिवृत्तेषु पाण्डुषु ॥
दृष्ट्वा द्रोणं छाद्यमानं तैर् भास्करम् इवाम्बुदैः ॥
तैश् चोद्धूतं रजस् तीव्रम् अवचक्रे चमूं तव ॥
ततो हतम् अमन्याम द्रोणं दृष्टिपथे हते ॥
Transliteration (IAST)
saṃjaya uvāca
mahad bhairavam āsīn naḥ saṃnivṛtteṣu pāṇḍuṣu ||
dṛṣṭvā droṇaṃ chādyamānaṃ tair bhāskaram ivāmbudaiḥ ||
taiś coddhūtaṃ rajas tīvram avacakre camūṃ tava ||
tato hatam amanyāma droṇaṃ dṛṣṭipathe hate ||
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
महत्mahatgreat; great
भैरवम्bhairavamdread [terror]; dread
आसीत्āsītwas [came]; came
नःnaḥ[to] us; [to] us
संनिवृत्तेषुsaṃnivṛtteṣu[when] they turned back [turned to battle]; [when] they turned [to battle]
पाण्डुषुpāṇḍuṣuthe Pandavas; the Pandavas
दृष्ट्वाdṛṣṭvāhaving seen; beholding
द्रोणम्droṇamDrona; Drona
छाद्यमानम्chādyamānambeing covered [being veiled]; veiled
तैःtaiḥby them; by them
भास्करम्bhāskaramsun; [like] the sun
इवivaas if [like]; just as
अम्बुदैःambudaiḥby clouds [rain-clouds]; by clouds
तैःtaiḥby them; by them
चcaand; —
उद्धूतम्uddhūtamraised [stirred]; raised
रजःrajaḥdust; dust
तीव्रम्tīvramdense [fierce]; dense
अवचक्रेavacakreshrouded [covered]; shrouded
चमूम् तवcamūm tavayour army; your host
ततःtataḥthen; then
हतम्hatamslain [struck down]; struck down
अमन्यामamanyāmawe thought [supposed]; we thought
द्रोणम्droṇamDrona; Drona
दृष्टिपथेdṛṣṭipathe[when] the field of sight [range of vision]; [when] the range of vision
हतेhate[when] was struck [was covered]; was covered
Translation
Great was the dread that came upon us when the Pandavas turned to battle -- beholding Drona veiled by them, just as the sun is veiled by clouds. The dense dust they raised shrouded your host; and then, when our field of sight was covered, we thought Drona struck down.
Version
ed345458ee0b · published Jul 19, 2026, 3:11:21 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The moment dust covers the field, our own already suppose Drona slain -- fear is born from the very impossibility of seeing. The image of the sun hidden by clouds is exact: the star does not go out because it is veiled, yet to one looking up from below it seems as though darkness has fallen. It is telling that dread arrives before any actual loss -- from ignorance alone. This teaches that not-knowing feeds fear more surely than real misfortune does; that a heart to which something is hidden hastens to count it lost, though it is merely concealed; and that wise is he who does not yield to terror at the first dimming of sight, remembering: the sun behind the cloud has not gone out, and to judge the hidden by its mere invisibility is to be deceived by one's own fear.