Mahabharata · 7.70.21–22
॥
Devanāgarī
भोजम् एके न्यवर्तन्त जलसंधम् अथापरे ॥
पाण्डवैर् हन्यमानाश् च द्रोणम् एवापरे ऽव्रजन् ॥
सैन्यान्य् अघटयद् यानि द्रोणस् तु रथिनां वरः ॥
व्यधमच् चापि तान्य् अस्य धृष्टद्युम्नो महारथः ॥
Transliteration (IAST)
bhojam eke nyavartanta jalasaṃdham athāpare ||
pāṇḍavair hanyamānāś ca droṇam evāpare 'vrajan ||
sainyāny aghaṭayad yāni droṇas tu rathināṃ varaḥ ||
vyadhamac cāpi tāny asya dhṛṣṭadyumno mahārathaḥ ||
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
भोजम् एके न्यवर्तन्तbhojam eke nyavartantasome turned toward Bhoja; some turned toward Bhoja
जलसंधम् अथ अपरेjalasaṃdham atha apareothers toward Jalasandha; others toward Jalasandha
पाण्डवैः हन्यमानाः चpāṇḍavaiḥ hanyamānāḥ caand, being struck down by the Pandavas; struck down by the Pandavas
द्रोणम् एव अपरे अव्रजन्droṇam eva apare avrajanothers went toward Drona; others went toward Drona
सैन्यानि अघटयत् यानिsainyāni aghaṭayat yānithe forces that he gathered together; the forces he gathered together
द्रोणः तु रथिनाम् वरःdroṇaḥ tu rathinām varaḥDrona, the best of charioteers; Drona, foremost of charioteers
व्यधमत् च अपि तानि अस्यvyadhamat ca api tāni asyascattered also those of his; scattered also those of his
धृष्टद्युम्नः महारथःdhṛṣṭadyumnaḥ mahārathaḥDhrishtadyumna, the great warrior; Dhrishtadyumna, the mighty warrior
Translation
Some turned toward Bhoja, others toward Jalasandha, and others still, struck down by the Pandavas, went toward Drona. The forces that Drona, the best of charioteers, gathered together — those too Dhrishtadyumna, the great warrior, scattered.
Version
210fb68bc021 · published Jul 19, 2026, 3:45:02 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
What Drona 'aghaṭayat,' gathers together, Dhrishtadyumna at once 'vyadhamat,' scatters: the teacher's efforts to restore his ranks come to nothing. It is telling how unceasing this contest is between order built and order destroyed. The verse teaches that against a skilled destroyer of plans, even the mastery of a builder is powerless: while one gathers, the other disperses; and in a contest of equals, victory belongs not to the one who builds but to the one on whose side destiny stands — for the labor of building formation turns to dust the moment it is broken by the one appointed to break it.