Mahabharata · 7.24.49–50
॥
Devanāgarī
वार्धक्षेमिं तु वार्ष्णेयं कृपः शारद्वतः शरैः ॥
अक्षुद्रः क्षुद्रकैर् द्रोणात् क्रुद्धरूपम् अवारयत् ॥
युध्यन्तौ कृपवार्ष्णेयौ ये ऽपश्यंश् चित्रयोधिनौ ॥
ते युद्धसक्तमनसो नान्या बुबुधिरे क्रियाः ॥
Transliteration (IAST)
vārdhakṣemiṃ tu vārṣṇeyaṃ kṛpaḥ śāradvataḥ śaraiḥ ||
akṣudraḥ kṣudrakair droṇāt kruddharūpam avārayat ||
yudhyantau kṛpavārṣṇeyau ye 'paśyaṃś citrayodhinau ||
te yuddhasaktamanaso nānyā bubudhire kriyāḥ ||
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
वार्धक्षेमिम्vārdhakṣemimVardhakshemi; Vardhakshemi
तुtuindeed; —
वार्ष्णेयम्vārṣṇeyamthe Varshneya [of the line of Vrishni]; the Varshneya
कृपः शारद्वतःkṛpaḥ śāradvataḥKripa, son of Sharadvata; Kripa Sharadvata
शरैःśaraiḥwith arrows; with arrows
अक्षुद्रःakṣudraḥnot small [not of the minor sort]; [himself] no minor fighter
क्षुद्रकैःkṣudrakaiḥwith small [light arrows]; with small arrows
द्रोणात्droṇātfrom Drona; [away] from Drona
क्रुद्धरूपम्kruddharūpamin enraged form [of the furious one]; the furious one
अवारयत्avārayatturned away [repelled]; turned away
युध्यन्तौyudhyantau[those two] fighting [engaged in combat]; who fought
कृपवार्ष्णेयौkṛpavārṣṇeyauKripa and the Varshneya; Kripa and the Varshneya
येyewho [those who]; [those] who
अपश्यन्apaśyansaw [beheld]; beheld
चित्रयोधिनौcitrayodhinaumarvelously fighting [skilled warriors]; wondrous in battle
तेtethose; they
युद्धसक्तमनसःyuddhasaktamanasaḥwith mind fixed on the battle; [with their] mind fixed on the fight
नnanot; not
अन्याःanyāḥother; other
बुबुधिरेbubudhirenoticed [were aware of]; noticed
क्रियाःkriyāḥdeeds [what was happening around]; of deeds [around]
Translation
Vardhakshemi, the Varshneya -- Kripa Sharadvata, himself no minor fighter -- turned the furious one away from Drona with small arrows. Those who beheld Kripa and the Varshneya fighting, wondrous in battle, with their mind fixed on the fight, noticed nothing else around them.
Version
7a3a6ede0896 · published Jul 19, 2026, 3:11:21 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The fight between Kripa and the Varshneya so grips the onlookers that they, "their mind fixed," cease to notice anything else. Thus true mastery reveals its power: it commandingly seizes attention, making one forget everything. There is a subtle wordplay here: Kripa, "no minor fighter" (akshudra), strikes with "small" (kshudraka) arrows -- a warrior's greatness lies not in the size of his weapon. It is telling that the mere sight of skilled fighters becomes a kind of concentration in itself. The verse teaches that perfected mastery rivets the eye and the mind, drawing them away from everything else; that greatness shows itself not in the bulkiness of one's means but in the art of wielding even the small; and that in beholding great skill there is something akin to spiritual concentration -- it gathers scattered attention into a single point, as befits all perfection.