Mahabharata · 7.48.31–32
॥
Devanāgarī
तं दृष्ट्वा पतितं भूमौ चन्द्रार्कसदृशद्युतिम् ॥
तावकानां परा प्रीतिः पाण्डूनां चाभवद् व्यथा ॥
अभिमन्यौ हते राजञ् शिशुके ऽप्राप्तयौवने ॥
संप्राद्रवच् चमूः सर्वा धर्मराजस्य पश्यतः ॥
Transliteration (IAST)
taṃ dṛṣṭvā patitaṃ bhūmau candrārkasadṛśadyutim ||
tāvakānāṃ parā prītiḥ pāṇḍūnāṃ cābhavad vyathā ||
abhimanyau hate rājañ śiśuke 'prāptayauvane ||
saṃprādravac camūḥ sarvā dharmarājasya paśyataḥ ||
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
तम्tamhim; him
दृष्ट्वाdṛṣṭvāseeing; beholding
पतितम् भूमौpatitam bhūmaufallen to the ground; brought down to earth
चन्द्रार्कसदृशद्युतिम्candrārkasadṛśadyutimradiant like the moon and sun; gleaming like moon and sun
तावकानाम्tāvakānāmamong your men; among your [warriors]
परा प्रीतिःparā prītiḥgreat joy; surpassing delight
पाण्डूनाम्pāṇḍūnāmamong the Pandavas; among the Pandavas
च अभवत् व्यथाca abhavat vyathāthere was grief [anguish]; there was grief
अभिमन्यौ हतेabhimanyau hatewhen Abhimanyu was killed; at Abhimanyu's fall
राजन्rājanO king; O sovereign
शिशुकेśiśukea mere boy [youth]; still a child
अप्राप्तयौवनेaprāptayauvanenot yet come to [full] youth; not yet come of age
संप्राद्रवत्saṃprādravatturned to flight [poured away]; ran
चमूः सर्वाcamūḥ sarvāthe whole army; the whole host
धर्मराजस्य पश्यतःdharmarājasya paśyataḥbefore the eyes of the King of Dharma [Yudhishthira]; in full sight of Dharmaraja
Translation
Seeing him, radiant like the moon and sun, brought down to earth — great joy was among your men, and grief among the Pandavas. When Abhimanyu was killed, O sovereign — a mere boy, not yet come of age — the whole army turned to flight before the eyes of the King of Dharma.
Version
9d86d13f079f · published Jul 19, 2026, 3:30:04 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
"Śiśuke aprāptayauvane," "a mere boy, not yet come of age," — the verse sharpens the youth of the fallen so that the lawlessness of his killers becomes unbearably plain. And the flight of the whole army "before the eyes of Dharmaraja" is a defeat not of arms but of spirit: even a righteous host breaks when the one in whom it saw its light falls. It is telling that this catastrophe is seen precisely "paśyataḥ dharmarājasya" — in full sight of the very embodiment of dharma, who must now raise up those who have fallen. The verse prepares its answer: grief is overcome not by denial but by a word of steadfastness.