Mahabharata · 7.61.17–18
॥
Devanāgarī
नित्यप्रमुदितानां च तालगीतस्वनो महान् ॥
नृत्यतां श्रूयते तात गणानां सो ऽद्य न ध्वनिः ॥
सप्ततन्तून् वितन्वाना यम् उपासन्ति याजकाः ॥
सौमदत्तिं श्रुतनिधिं तेषां न श्रूयते ध्वनिः ॥
Transliteration (IAST)
nityapramuditānāṃ ca tālagītasvano mahān ||
nṛtyatāṃ śrūyate tāta gaṇānāṃ so 'dya na dhvaniḥ ||
saptatantūn vitanvānā yam upāsanti yājakāḥ ||
saumadattiṃ śrutanidhiṃ teṣāṃ na śrūyate dhvaniḥ ||
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
नित्यप्रमुदितानाम् चnityapramuditānām caand of the ever-merry; and of the ever-merry
तालगीतस्वनः महान्tālagītasvanaḥ mahānthe great sound of tuneful singing; the great sound of tuneful singing
नृत्यताम् श्रूयते तातnṛtyatām śrūyate tātaof the dancers was heard, O dear one; of the dancers was heard, O dear one
गणानाम् सः अद्य न ध्वनिःgaṇānām saḥ adya na dhvaniḥof [those] troupes now no clamor; of those troupes now no din
सप्ततन्तून् वितन्वानाःsaptatantūn vitanvānāḥextending the seven strands [of sacrifices]; spreading the seven strands of the sacrifices
यम् उपासन्ति याजकाःyam upāsanti yājakāḥwhom priests honor; whom priests revere
सौमदत्तिम् श्रुतनिधिम्saumadattim śrutanidhimthe son of Somadatta, the treasury of learning; the son of Somadatta, the storehouse of learning
तेषाम् न श्रूयते ध्वनिःteṣām na śrūyate dhvaniḥtheir clamor is not heard; their clamor is not heard
Translation
"And of the ever-merry [troupes] the great sound of tuneful singing dancers used to be heard, O dear one; of those troupes there is now no clamor. The priests who extend the seven strands [of the sacrifice] and honor the son of Somadatta, the treasury of learning — their clamor is not heard."
Version
497b9b591ee2 · published Jul 19, 2026, 3:45:02 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
Even the sound of sacrifices has fallen silent: 'saptatantūn vitanvānāḥ… yājakāḥ,' the priests who spread the sevenfold rites around the learned son of Somadatta, have grown quiet. It is telling that with the revelry the sound of sacred rite also dies: disaster spares neither play nor ritual. The verse teaches that wrongdoing ruins both the sacred and the mundane at once: where a lineage has departed from dharma, both dances and sacrificial chants fall still; and the muting of the altar is the gravest of signs, for the very bond with heaven has fallen silent.