हाहाकारो महांस् तत्र सैन्यानां समजायत ॥
स्वेनास्त्रेण हतं दृष्ट्वा श्रुतायुधम् अरिंदमम् ॥
अयुध्यमानाय हि सा केशवाय नराधिप ॥
क्षिप्ता श्रुतायुधेनाथ तस्मात् तम् अवधीद् गदा ॥
यथोक्तं वरुणेनाजौ तथा स निधनं गतः ॥
व्यसुश् चाप्य् अपतद् भूमौ प्रेक्षतां सर्वधन्विनाम् ॥
hāhākāro mahāṃs tatra sainyānāṃ samajāyata ||
svenāstreṇa hataṃ dṛṣṭvā śrutāyudham ariṃdamam ||
ayudhyamānāya hi sā keśavāya narādhipa ||
kṣiptā śrutāyudhenātha tasmāt tam avadhīd gadā ||
yathoktaṃ varuṇenājau tathā sa nidhanaṃ gataḥ ||
vyasuś cāpy apatad bhūmau prekṣatāṃ sarvadhanvinām ||
A great cry of "alas" arose there among the troops, who saw Shrutayudha, tamer of foes, slain by his own weapon. For it was hurled by Shrutayudha at Keshava, who was not fighting, O lord of men — and therefore the mace killed him instead. As Varuna had foretold in battle, so he met his death, and lifeless he fell to the ground before the eyes of all the bowmen.
7dd192334727 · published Jul 19, 2026, 3:45:02 PM UTC
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The poet states the cause directly: "ayudhyamānāya keśavāya… kṣiptā… tasmāt tam avadhīt gadā" — hurled at Keshava, who was not fighting, it therefore killed the one who threw it. "Yathā uktaṃ varuṇena… tathā nidhanaṃ gataḥ" — as Varuna had foretold, so it came to pass. It is telling that the word of the boon-granting god was fulfilled to the letter. The verse teaches that the law binding a gift to its condition cannot be undone: whoever breaks the pledge of righteousness destroys himself with his own weapon; and an attempt to strike the Lord who has not entered the fight is the gravest transgression, one that inevitably brings the transgressor's death — exactly as had been foretold.