Mahabharata · 7.67.5–6
॥
Devanāgarī
तेषाम् आयच्छतां संख्ये परस्परम् अजिह्मगैः ॥
अर्जुनो ध्वजिनीं राजन्न् अभीक्ष्णं समकम्पयत् ॥
सत्यां चिकीर्षमाणस् तु प्रतिज्ञां सत्यसंगरः ॥
अभ्यद्रवद् रथश्रेष्ठं शोणाश्वं श्वेतवाहनः ॥
Transliteration (IAST)
teṣām āyacchatāṃ saṃkhye parasparam ajihmagaiḥ ||
arjuno dhvajinīṃ rājann abhīkṣṇaṃ samakampayat ||
satyāṃ cikīrṣamāṇas tu pratijñāṃ satyasaṃgaraḥ ||
abhyadravad rathaśreṣṭhaṃ śoṇāśvaṃ śvetavāhanaḥ ||
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
तेषाम् आयच्छताम् संख्येteṣām āyacchatām saṃkhyewhen they held to each other in battle; when they fought each other in battle
परस्परम् अजिह्मगैःparasparam ajihmagaiḥwith straight-flying arrows; with straight arrows
अर्जुनः ध्वजिनीम् राजन्arjunaḥ dhvajinīm rājanArjuna the army, O king; Arjuna the host, O sovereign
अभीक्ष्णम् समकम्पयत्abhīkṣṇam samakampayatceaselessly shook; ceaselessly shook
सत्याम् चिकीर्षमाणः तुsatyām cikīrṣamāṇaḥ tuwishing to make true; wishing to fulfill
प्रतिज्ञाम् सत्यसंगरःpratijñām satyasaṃgaraḥthe vow, faithful to his word; the vow, faithful to his word
अभ्यद्रवत् रथश्रेष्ठम्abhyadravat rathaśreṣṭhamrushed toward the best chariot; rushed toward the best chariot
शोणाश्वम् श्वेतवाहनःśoṇāśvam śvetavāhanaḥwith red horses -- the white-horsed one; with red horses -- the white-horsed one
Translation
As they held to each other in battle, striking with straight-flying arrows, Arjuna, O king, ceaselessly shook the army. Wishing to make his vow true, faithful to his word, the white-horsed one rushed toward the best chariot with red horses.
Version
ac59cba5d05c · published Jul 19, 2026, 3:45:02 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
"Satyāṃ cikīrṣamāṇaḥ pratijñāṃ satyasaṃgaraḥ," "wishing to fulfill the vow, faithful to his word," is the mainspring of all Arjuna's actions: not fury, but faithfulness to a given word. Telling is that "satyasaṃgaraḥ," faithful to his word in the fray, drives him through the chaos. The verse teaches that the righteous are moved not by the passion of battle but by fidelity to truth: every effort of theirs is subject to fulfilling the vow. Amid the storm of the fight he holds to a single aim — to make his word true, for to the faithful, truthfulness is dearer than victory itself.