Mahabharata · 7.30.1–2
॥
Devanāgarī
धृतराष्ट्र उवाच
तेष्व् अनीकेषु भग्नेषु पाण्डुपुत्रेण संजय ॥
चलितानां द्रुतानां च कथम् आसीन् मनो हि वः ॥
अनीकानां प्रभग्नानां व्यवस्थानम् अपश्यताम् ॥
दुष्करं प्रतिसंधानं तन् ममाचक्ष्व संजय ॥
Transliteration (IAST)
dhṛtarāṣṭra uvāca
teṣv anīkeṣu bhagneṣu pāṇḍuputreṇa saṃjaya ||
calitānāṃ drutānāṃ ca katham āsīn mano hi vaḥ ||
anīkānāṃ prabhagnānāṃ vyavasthānam apaśyatām ||
duṣkaraṃ pratisaṃdhānaṃ tan mamācakṣva saṃjaya ||
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
तेषु अनीकेषुteṣu anīkeṣu[when] those hosts [armies]; [when] those armies
भग्नेषुbhagneṣu[when] broken [shattered]; [were] broken
पाण्डुपुत्रेणpāṇḍuputreṇaby the son of Pandu [Arjuna]; by the son of Pandu
संजयsaṃjayaO Sanjaya; O Sanjaya
चलितानाम्calitānāmof the wavering [shaken]; wavering
द्रुतानाम्drutānāmfleeing [routed]; fled
चcaand; —
कथम्kathamhow [what]; what
आसीत्āsītwas [came]; was
मनःmanaḥmood [temper]; mood
हिhiindeed; —
वःvaḥ[of] you; [of] you
अनीकानाम्anīkānāmof hosts [armies]; [of] armies
प्रभग्नानाम्prabhagnānāmshattered [broken]; shattered
व्यवस्थानम्vyavasthānamreunion [rallying]; rallying
अपश्यताम्apaśyatāmnot seeing [having lost sight]; [of those] who had lost sight [of each other]
दुष्करम्duṣkaramdifficult [hard to achieve]; hard
प्रतिसंधानम्pratisaṃdhānamgathering [reunion]; reunion
तत्tatthat; [about] that
ममmamato me; to me
आचक्ष्वācakṣvatell [relate]; tell
संजयsaṃjayaO Sanjaya; O Sanjaya
Translation
"When those armies were broken by the son of Pandu, O Sanjaya, what was the mood of you all, wavering and fleeing? The rallying of shattered armies that have lost sight of one another is difficult; tell me of that, O Sanjaya."
Version
d5ff4a73b8e4 · published Jul 19, 2026, 3:11:21 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
Dhritarashtra asks with insight -- not about losses, but about the spirit of the army: "what was the mood?" For he knows that the hardest thing is not to hold the line, but to rally again after a rout, when the ranks are scattered and have lost sight of one another. It is telling that the blind king sees what others miss: the outcome is decided not by the count of the fallen, but by the capacity of the broken to rise again. The verse teaches that the true strength of an army is proved not in the hour of onslaught but after defeat -- in its ability to gather itself once more; that rallying the scattered and restoring their will is harder than standing firm; and that the wise man attends first to spirit, not to figures of loss, for an army lives while its spirit lives, and perishes when its spirit is scattered, however many bodies remain.