Mahabharata · 7.50.24–25
॥
Devanāgarī
सुकुमारं महेष्वासं वासवस्यात्मजात्मजम् ॥
सदा मम प्रियं ब्रूत कथम् आयोधने हतः ॥
वार्ष्णेयीदयितं शूरं मया सततलालितम् ॥
अम्बायाश् च प्रियं नित्यं को ऽवधीत् कालचोदितः ॥
Transliteration (IAST)
sukumāraṃ maheṣvāsaṃ vāsavasyātmajātmajam ||
sadā mama priyaṃ brūta katham āyodhane hataḥ ||
vārṣṇeyīdayitaṃ śūraṃ mayā satatalālitam ||
ambāyāś ca priyaṃ nityaṃ ko 'vadhīt kālacoditaḥ ||
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
सुकुमारम्sukumāramthe tender [young]; the tender one
महेष्वासम्maheṣvāsamgreat archer; mighty bowman
वासवस्य आत्मजात्मजम्vāsavasya ātmajātmajamthe grandson of Vasava [Indra]; grandson of Vasava
सदा मम प्रियम्sadā mama priyamever dear to me; always beloved to me
ब्रूतbrūtatell me; tell me
कथम् आयोधने हतःkatham āyodhane hataḥhow was he slain in battle; how in the fray was he struck down
वार्ष्णेयीदयितम्vārṣṇeyīdayitambeloved of the woman of Vrishni's line [Subhadra]; beloved of the Vrishni maiden
शूरम्śūramthe hero; the hero
मया सततलालितम्mayā satatalālitamcherished by me continually; cherished by me at every hour
अम्बायाः च प्रियम् नित्यम्ambāyāḥ ca priyam nityamand ever dear to Mother [Kunti]; and forever beloved to Mother
कः अवधीत्kaḥ avadhītwho killed [him]; who slew him
कालचोदितःkālacoditaḥdriven by Time [fated by destiny]; driven by fate
Translation
"The tender, mighty archer, the grandson of Vasava, ever dear to me — tell me, how was he slain in battle? The hero beloved of the woman of Vrishni's line, cherished by me at every hour, and forever dear to Mother — who slew him, driven by Time?"
Version
0ad56e05c8cb · published Jul 19, 2026, 3:30:04 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
Arjuna entrusts the killer's name in advance to fate: "kaḥ avadhīt kālacoditaḥ", "who slew him, driven by Time?" In this lies a deep vision: only one driven by Time itself, by Kala, could lift a hand against such a one. The catalogue of tenderness — "sukumāram… satatalālitam… ambāyāḥ priyam", cherished by his father, beloved by his mother Subhadra — sharpens the unnaturalness of the death of one guarded by all. It is telling that the father names him grandson of Indra, tracing the lineage to heaven. The verse teaches us to see behind the killer's hand the movement of fate, which does not excuse the wrongdoer but sets the death of the righteous within a larger design.