Mahabharata · 7.70.33–34
॥
Devanāgarī
वध्यमानेषु सैन्येषु द्रोणपार्षतसायकैः ॥
त्यक्त्वा प्राणान् परं शक्त्या प्रायुध्यन्त स्म सैनिकाः ॥
तावकानां परेषां च युध्यतां भरतर्षभ ॥
नासीत् कश् चिन् महाराज यो ऽत्याक्षीत् संयुगं भयात् ॥
Transliteration (IAST)
vadhyamāneṣu sainyeṣu droṇapārṣatasāyakaiḥ ||
tyaktvā prāṇān paraṃ śaktyā prāyudhyanta sma sainikāḥ ||
tāvakānāṃ pareṣāṃ ca yudhyatāṃ bharatarṣabha ||
nāsīt kaś cin mahārāja yo 'tyākṣīt saṃyugaṃ bhayāt ||
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
वध्यमानेषु सैन्येषुvadhyamāneṣu sainyeṣuwhile the armies were being slaughtered; while the armies were being slaughtered
द्रोणपार्षतसायकैःdroṇapārṣatasāyakaiḥby the arrows of Drona and Parshata; by the arrows of Drona and Parshata
त्यक्त्वा प्राणान् परम् शक्त्याtyaktvā prāṇān param śaktyāgiving up their lives, with all their strength; sparing not their lives, with all their strength
प्रायुध्यन्त स्म सैनिकाःprāyudhyanta sma sainikāḥthe soldiers fought; the soldiers fought
तावकानाम् परेषाम् चtāvakānām pareṣām caof yours and of the enemy; of yours and of the enemy
युध्यताम् भरतर्षभyudhyatām bharatarṣabhafighting on, O bull of the Bharatas; fighting on, O bull among the Bharatas
न आसीत् कः चित् महाराजna āsīt kaḥ cit mahārājathere was none, O great king; there was none, O great king
यः अत्याक्षीत् संयुगम् भयात्yaḥ atyākṣīt saṃyugam bhayātwho abandoned the battle out of fear; who fled the fight out of fear
Translation
While the armies were being slaughtered by the arrows of Drona and Parshata, the soldiers fought, giving up their lives, with all their strength. Among those fighting, yours and the enemy's, O bull of the Bharatas, there was none, O great king, who abandoned the battle out of fear.
Version
38b373343874 · published Jul 19, 2026, 3:45:02 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The narrator honors both sides equally: "na asit kash cit… yah atyakshit samyugam bhayat" — none abandoned the fight from fear. Courage here is a common possession, not the privilege of the righteous. It is telling how impartial this is: bravery is acknowledged everywhere. The verse teaches that valor belongs to human beings regardless of the rightness of their cause: even those who stand for wrong can be fearless; and the tragedy is that so much courage, worthy of a better fate, is squandered in fratricide — bravery given no chance to serve the world.