Mahabharata · 7.42.17–18
॥
Devanāgarī
सौभद्रेण हतैः पूर्वं सोत्तरायुधिभिर् द्विपैः ॥
पाण्डूनां दर्शितः पन्थाः सैन्धवेन निवारितः ॥
यतमानास् तु ते वीरा मत्स्यपाञ्चालकेकयाः ॥
पाण्डवाश् चान्वपद्यन्त प्रत्यैकश्येन सैन्धवम् ॥
Transliteration (IAST)
saubhadreṇa hataiḥ pūrvaṃ sottarāyudhibhir dvipaiḥ ||
pāṇḍūnāṃ darśitaḥ panthāḥ saindhavena nivāritaḥ ||
yatamānās tu te vīrā matsyapāñcālakekayāḥ ||
pāṇḍavāś cānvapadyanta pratyaikaśyena saindhavam ||
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
सौभद्रेणsaubhadreṇaby the son of Subhadra [Abhimanyu]; by the son of Subhadra
हतैःhataiḥslain [struck down]; struck down
पूर्वम्pūrvamearlier [before]; earlier
सोत्तरायुधिभिःsottarāyudhibhiḥwith warriors on their backs [combat]; [with] archers on their backs
द्विपैःdvipaiḥelephants; elephants
पाण्डूनाम्pāṇḍūnāmfor the Pandavas; for the Pandavas
दर्शितःdarśitaḥshown [opened]; opened
पन्थाःpanthāḥpath [passage]; path
सैन्धवेनsaindhavenaby the man of Sindhu [Jayadratha]; by the man of Sindhu
निवारितःnivāritaḥbarred [closed off]; barred
यतमानाःyatamānāḥstriving [eager]; eager
तुtuindeed; —
ते वीराःte vīrāḥthose heroes; those heroes
मत्स्यपाञ्चालकेकयाःmatsyapāñcālakekayāḥthe Matsyas, Panchalas, and Kekayas; the Matsyas, Panchalas, and Kekayas
पाण्डवाःpāṇḍavāḥthe Pandavas; the Pandavas
चcaand; —
अन्वपद्यन्तanvapadyantarushed at [pressed upon]; pressed [upon]
प्रत्यैकश्येनpratyaikaśyenaone by one [singly]; singly
सैन्धवम्saindhavam[upon] the man of Sindhu [Jayadratha]; [upon] the man of Sindhu
Translation
The path earlier opened for the Pandavas by the son of Subhadra — [through] the elephants with archers on their backs that were struck down — was barred by the man of Sindhu. Those eager heroes — the Matsyas, Panchalas, and Kekayas, and the Pandavas — pressed upon the man of Sindhu one by one.
Version
ddecf33aa1c1 · published Jul 19, 2026, 3:30:03 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
Here is the very knot of the tragedy: 'the path opened by the boy is barred by the man of Sindhu.' What Abhimanyu won with his blood — the passage through the impregnable formation — is sealed shut behind him. And the heroes of the Pandavas press upon Jayadratha 'one by one' — not together but separately, and therefore in vain: Shiva's boon holds against each of them. It is telling that the disunity of their efforts ruins their undertaking. The verse teaches that what one man wins at the cost of his life can be taken away by one man at the entrance; that efforts made separately are broken where a combined assault might have prevailed; and that in this 'one by one' lies a bitter lesson: failing to fall upon him together, the boy's defenders let the barrier stand, and the passage that led to rescue remains sealed while the child perishes within.