Mahabharata · 7.34.22–23
॥
Devanāgarī
भीम उवाच
अहं त्वानुगमिष्यामि धृष्टद्युम्नो ऽथ सात्यकिः ॥
पाञ्चालाः केकया मत्स्यास् तथा सर्वे प्रभद्रकाः ॥
सकृद् भिन्नं त्वया व्यूहं तत्र तत्र पुनः पुनः ॥
वयं प्रध्वंसयिष्यामो निघ्नमाना वरान् वरान् ॥
Transliteration (IAST)
bhīma uvāca
ahaṃ tvānugamiṣyāmi dhṛṣṭadyumno 'tha sātyakiḥ ||
pāñcālāḥ kekayā matsyās tathā sarve prabhadrakāḥ ||
sakṛd bhinnaṃ tvayā vyūhaṃ tatra tatra punaḥ punaḥ ||
vayaṃ pradhvaṃsayiṣyāmo nighnamānā varān varān ||
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
अहम्ahamI; I
त्वाtvā[after] you; [after] you
अनुगमिष्यामिanugamiṣyāmiwill follow; will follow
धृष्टद्युम्नःdhṛṣṭadyumnaḥDhrishtadyumna; Dhrishtadyumna
अथathaand [also]; and
सात्यकिःsātyakiḥSatyaki; Satyaki
पाञ्चालाःpāñcālāḥthe Panchalas; the Panchalas
केकयाःkekayāḥthe Kekayas; the Kekayas
मत्स्याःmatsyāḥthe Matsyas; the Matsyas
तथाtathāand [likewise]; and
सर्वेsarveall; all
प्रभद्रकाःprabhadrakāḥthe Prabhadrakas; the Prabhadrakas
सकृत्sakṛtonce [a single time]; [just] once
भिन्नम्bhinnambreached [broken through]; breached
त्वयाtvayāby you; by you
व्यूहम्vyūhamthe array; the array
तत्र तत्रtatra tatrathere and there [in various places]; in various places
पुनः पुनःpunaḥ punaḥagain and again; time and again
वयम्vayamwe; we
प्रध्वंसयिष्यामःpradhvaṃsayiṣyāmaḥwill destroy [will shatter]; will shatter
निघ्नमानाःnighnamānāḥstriking [slaying]; striking down
वरान् वरान्varān varānthe very best [the foremost]; the foremost [warriors]
Translation
"I will follow after you, and Dhrishtadyumna, and Satyaki, the Panchalas, the Kekayas, the Matsyas, and all the Prabhadrakas. The array, once breached by you, we will shatter in various places time and again, striking down the foremost warriors."
Version
4df7ac62a624 · published Jul 19, 2026, 3:22:09 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The list of all who swear to follow — Dhrishtadyumna, Satyaki, the Panchalas, the Matsyas — makes the pledge weightier still: it is not Yudhishthira alone but the whole army that vouches for the boy. And all the heavier will be the guilt when all of them prove powerless to break through. It is telling that the plan itself is sound — "you breach it, we will widen it" — the plan is good, and it will not be the plan that fails, but Jayadratha. The verse teaches that even the best-laid plan can collapse from a single unforeseen obstacle; that a promise sealed by many is no more reliable than the promise of one, if there exists someone able to overturn it; and that man proposes, laying out a sound plan, but the outcome is decided not by the plan but by whether the weak link holds — and here the weak link was fidelity to a vow, which did not withstand the onslaught of Jayadratha.