Mahabharata · 7.93.1–2
॥
Devanāgarī
संजय उवाच
काल्यमानेषु सैन्येषु शैनेयेन ततस् ततः ॥
भारद्वाजः शरव्रातैर् महद्भिः समवाकिरत् ॥
स संप्रहारस् तुमुलो द्रोणसात्वतयोर् अभूत् ॥
पश्यतां सर्वसैन्यानां बलिवासवयोर् इव ॥
Transliteration (IAST)
saṃjaya uvāca
kālyamāneṣu sainyeṣu śaineyena tatas tataḥ ||
bhāradvājaḥ śaravrātair mahadbhiḥ samavākirat ||
sa saṃprahāras tumulo droṇasātvatayor abhūt ||
paśyatāṃ sarvasainyānāṃ balivāsavayor iva ||
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
काल्यमानेषु सैन्येषुkālyamāneṣu sainyeṣu[when] driven, the armies; when the armies fled in rout
शैनेयेन ततः ततःśaineyena tataḥ tataḥby Shaineya, here and there; by Shaineya, to and fro
भारद्वाजः शरव्रातैःbhāradvājaḥ śaravrātaiḥthe son of Bharadvaja, with swarms of arrows; the son of Bharadvaja, with clouds of arrows
महद्भिः समवाकिरत्mahadbhiḥ samavākiratgreat, showered; great, showered [him]
सः संप्रहारः तुमुलःsaḥ saṃprahāraḥ tumulaḥthat clash, tumultuous; that collision, tumultuous
द्रोणसात्वतयोः अभूत्droṇasātvatayoḥ abhūtof Drona and Satvata, arose; of Drona and Satvata, came to be
पश्यताम् सर्वसैन्यानाम्paśyatām sarvasainyānām[before] the eyes of all the armies; before the eyes of all the hosts
बलिवासवयोः इवbalivāsavayoḥ ivaas of Bali and Vasava; as of Bali and Vasava [Indra]
Translation
As the armies were driven this way and that by Shaineya, the son of Bharadvaja showered him with great swarms of arrows. That tumultuous clash of Drona and Satvata arose before the eyes of all the armies, as of Bali and Vasava.
Version
9757f51177b2 · published Jul 19, 2026, 4:08:02 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The duel of teacher and pupil is likened to the battle of Bali and Indra, demon and god: a fearsome equality. It is telling that the epic sets them beside the greatest of adversaries. The verse teaches that the meeting of two perfections is a spectacle of cosmic scale; when equals in mastery come together, their very clash rises to the image of the eternal struggle upon which all the worlds gaze.