Mahabharata · 7.72.21–22
॥
Devanāgarī
वर्तमाने तथा युद्धे निर्मर्यादे विशां पते ॥
धृष्टद्युम्नो हयान् अश्वैर् द्रोणस्य व्यत्यमिश्रयत् ॥
ते हया साध्व् अशोभन्त विमिश्रा वातरंहसः ॥
पारावतसवर्णाश् च रक्तशोणाश् च संयुगे ॥
हयाः शुशुभिरे राजन् मेघा इव सविद्युतः ॥
Transliteration (IAST)
vartamāne tathā yuddhe nirmaryāde viśāṃ pate ||
dhṛṣṭadyumno hayān aśvair droṇasya vyatyamiśrayat ||
te hayā sādhv aśobhanta vimiśrā vātaraṃhasaḥ ||
pārāvatasavarṇāś ca raktaśoṇāś ca saṃyuge ||
hayāḥ śuśubhire rājan meghā iva savidyutaḥ ||
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
वर्तमाने तथा युद्धेvartamāne tathā yuddhe[when] the battle thus went on; when the battle thus went on
निर्मर्यादे विशां पतेnirmaryāde viśāṃ pateboundless, O lord of peoples; boundless, O sovereign
धृष्टद्युम्नः हयान् अश्वैःdhṛṣṭadyumnaḥ hayān aśvaiḥDhrishtadyumna [mixed] horses with horses; Dhrishtadyumna [mixed] horses with horses
द्रोणस्य व्यत्यमिश्रयत्droṇasya vyatyamiśrayatof Drona, intermingled; of Drona, intermingled
ते हयाः साधु अशोभन्तte hayāḥ sādhu aśobhantathose horses shone gloriously; those horses shone gloriously
विमिश्राः वातरंहसःvimiśrāḥ vātaraṃhasaḥintermingled, swift as the wind; intermingled, swift as the wind
पारावतसवर्णाः चpārāvatasavarṇāḥ caand dove-colored; and dove-colored
रक्तशोणाः च संयुगेraktaśoṇāḥ ca saṃyugeand dark red, in battle; and dark red, in battle
Translation
When the battle thus went on, boundless, O lord of peoples, Dhrishtadyumna mixed his horses with the horses of Drona. Those horses shone gloriously, intermingled, swift as the wind, dove-colored and dark red, in battle.
Version
476a7a243e12 · published Jul 19, 2026, 3:52:56 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
'Nirmaryāde,' 'boundless': the battle has transgressed every rule. And in this chaos Dhrishtadyumna dares a bold act -- he brings his chariot flush against Drona's, mingling their horses. It is significant that desperate courage is born when all limits are cast aside. The verse teaches that in the hour when every boundary collapses, men dare the unthinkable: Dhrishtadyumna, closing in on the formidable teacher, prepares something unprecedented; and extreme resolve at times demands transgressing the accustomed -- entering the very thick of danger for the sake of the goal.