Mahabharata · 7.48.16–17
॥
Devanāgarī
विमृद्य तरुशृङ्गाणि संनिवृत्तम् इवानिलम् ॥
अस्तं गतम् इवादित्यं तप्त्वा भारतवाहिनीम् ॥
उपप्लुतं यथा सोमं संशुष्कम् इव सागरम् ॥
पूर्णचन्द्राभवदनं काकपक्षवृताक्षकम् ॥
Transliteration (IAST)
vimṛdya taruśṛṅgāṇi saṃnivṛttam ivānilam ||
astaṃ gatam ivādityaṃ taptvā bhāratavāhinīm ||
upaplutaṃ yathā somaṃ saṃśuṣkam iva sāgaram ||
pūrṇacandrābhavadanaṃ kākapakṣavṛtākṣakam ||
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
विमृद्यvimṛdyahaving broken [crushed]; having felled
तरुशृङ्गाणिtaruśṛṅgāṇitreetops; crowns of trees
संनिवृत्तम् इव अनिलम्saṃnivṛttam iva anilamlike a wind that has died down; as a stilled gale
अस्तम् गतम् इव आदित्यम्astam gatam iva ādityamlike the sun gone to its setting; as the sun sunk down
तप्त्वाtaptvāhaving scorched [seared]; having seared
भारतवाहिनीम्bhāratavāhinīmthe army of the Bharatas; the Bharata host
उपप्लुतम् इव सोमम्upaplutam iva somamlike the moon eclipsed [darkened]; as a darkened moon
संशुष्कम् इव सागरम्saṃśuṣkam iva sāgaramlike the ocean dried up; as a dried-up sea
पूर्णचन्द्राभवदनम्pūrṇacandrābhavadanamwith a face like the full moon; full-moon-faced
काकपक्षवृताक्षकम्kākapakṣavṛtākṣakamwith eyes framed by locks [like ravens' wings]; with eyes ringed by curls
Translation
He was like a wind that has died down, having felled the crowns of trees; like the sun gone to its setting, having seared the army of the Bharatas; like the moon eclipsed, like the ocean dried up — full-moon-faced, with eyes framed by locks like ravens' wings.
Version
8c86c41c4d80 · published Jul 19, 2026, 3:30:04 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
A procession of the greatest images — the gale, the sun, the moon, the ocean — is all drawn together into the boy's face: "pūrṇacandra-abha-vadanam", "full-moon-faced". The verse deliberately draws the cosmos toward one young face with childish curls about the eyes, so that the enormity of this loss becomes felt: it was not a warrior among warriors who fell, but as if the very luminary had set. Here a grief shows itself that does not exaggerate but simply measures rightly: the departure of the pure makes the world darker by a whole sun.