Mahabharata · 7.54.1–2
॥
Devanāgarī
संजय उवाच
तां निशां दुःखशोकार्तौ श्वसन्ताव् इव चोरगौ ॥
निद्रां नैवोपलेभाते वासुदेवधनंजयौ ॥
नरनारायणौ क्रुद्धौ ज्ञात्वा देवाः सवासवाः ॥
व्यथिताश् चिन्तयाम् आसुः किं स्विद् एतद् भविष्यति ॥
Transliteration (IAST)
saṃjaya uvāca
tāṃ niśāṃ duḥkhaśokārtau śvasantāv iva coragau ||
nidrāṃ naivopalebhāte vāsudevadhanaṃjayau ||
naranārāyaṇau kruddhau jñātvā devāḥ savāsavāḥ ||
vyathitāś cintayām āsuḥ kiṃ svid etad bhaviṣyati ||
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
ताम् निशाम्tām niśāmthat night; that night
दुःखशोकार्तौduḥkhaśokārtautormented by grief and sorrow; tormented by grief and sorrow
श्वसन्तौ इव च उरगौśvasantau iva ca uragauand like hissing serpents; like hissing serpents
निद्राम् न एव उपलेभातेnidrām na eva upalebhātefound no sleep; tasted no sleep
वासुदेवधनंजयौvāsudevadhanaṃjayauVasudeva [Krishna] and Dhananjaya [Arjuna]; Vasudeva and Dhananjaya
नरनारायणौ क्रुद्धौnaranārāyaṇau kruddhauthe enraged Nara and Narayana; the enraged Nara and Narayana
ज्ञात्वा देवाः सवासवाःjñātvā devāḥ savāsavāḥknowing, the gods with Vasava [Indra]; learning of it, the gods with Indra
व्यथिताः चिन्तयाम् आसुःvyathitāḥ cintayām āsuḥtroubled, they pondered; in anxiety they pondered
किम् स्वित् एतत् भविष्यतिkim svit etat bhaviṣyatiwhat indeed will this become [what will come of it]; what indeed will come of this
Translation
That night, tormented by grief and sorrow, like hissing serpents, Vasudeva and Dhananjaya found no sleep. Learning that Nara and Narayana were enraged, the gods with Vasava, troubled, pondered: "What indeed will come of this?"
Version
f51bb9541ed7 · published Jul 19, 2026, 3:36:52 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The verse opens a hidden truth about these two: they are "naranārāyaṇau", the eternal sages Nara and Narayana, now descended as Arjuna and Krishna. That is why their anger troubles even the gods with Indra: "kiṃ svit etat bhaviṣyati", "what indeed will this become?" It is telling that the friends' sleepless grief is not mere human sorrow but the stirring of descended divine principles, and heaven senses it. The verse teaches that behind the form of a friend-charioteer and his companion stands the eternal pair Nara-Narayana: where they are, earthly events acquire cosmic weight, and the gods themselves watch the outcome.