Mahabharata · 7.45.14–15
॥
Devanāgarī
संक्रुद्धो वै महाबाहुर् दण्डाहत इवोरगः ॥
पौत्रस् तव महाराज तव पौत्रम् अभाषत ॥
सुदृष्टः क्रियतां लोको अमुं लोकं गमिष्यसि ॥
पश्यतां बान्धवानां त्वां नयामि यमसादनम् ॥
Transliteration (IAST)
saṃkruddho vai mahābāhur daṇḍāhata ivoragaḥ ||
pautras tava mahārāja tava pautram abhāṣata ||
sudṛṣṭaḥ kriyatāṃ loko amuṃ lokaṃ gamiṣyasi ||
paśyatāṃ bāndhavānāṃ tvāṃ nayāmi yamasādanam ||
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
संक्रुद्धःsaṃkruddhaḥenraged; enraged
वैvaiindeed; —
महाबाहुःmahābāhuḥmighty-armed; mighty-armed
दण्डाहतःdaṇḍāhataḥstruck by a rod [staff]; struck by a staff
इवivaas though [like]; —
उरगःuragaḥa serpent; [like] a serpent
पौत्रःpautraḥthe scion [of your line; Abhimanyu]; the scion [of your line]
तवtavayour; your
महाराजmahārājao great king; o great sovereign
तव पौत्रम्tava pautram[to] your grandson [Lakshmana]; [to] your grandson
अभाषतabhāṣataaddressed [said]; addressed
सुदृष्टःsudṛṣṭaḥwell seen [beheld enough]; well beheld
क्रियताम्kriyatāmlet be made [let it be]; let it be
लोकःlokaḥthe world [light]; [this] world
अमुम् लोकम्amum lokam[to] the other world [to the next life]; [to] the other world
गमिष्यसिgamiṣyasi[you] will go [depart]; [you] will depart
पश्यताम्paśyatām[before the eyes] of those watching; [before the eyes] of
बान्धवानाम्bāndhavānāmkinsmen; kinsmen
त्वाम्tvāmyou; you
नयामिnayāmiI lead [conduct]; I lead
यमसादनम्yamasādanam[to] the abode of Yama; to the halls of Yama
Translation
Enraged, mighty-armed, like a serpent struck by a staff — the scion of your line [Abhimanyu], o great sovereign — addressed your grandson [Lakshmana]: "Let this world be well beheld by you; you will depart to the other world. Before the eyes of [your] kinsmen, I lead you to the halls of Yama."
Version
61cfc9f4d966 · published Jul 19, 2026, 3:30:04 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
Abhimanyu addresses Lakshmana with the same grim courtesy he had earlier shown Bhagadatta: "behold the world well — you are going to Yama." Warrior speech clothes the verdict in an almost gentle form. But this echo is bitter: a boy kills a boy, both young, both someone's beloved children. It is telling that he strikes "before the eyes of kinsmen" — the death will be witnessed by all, and the father's grief is inevitable. The verse teaches that even the direst herald of death sounds courteous in a noble mouth; that in fratricidal war the striker and the struck are mirror images — youth destroying youth; and that the tradition, putting into Abhimanyu's mouth the same words he used to send off Bhagadatta, reminds us: the circle of death turns, and he who now leads another to Yama will himself soon be led there too.