एते हि सोमका विप्र पाञ्चालाश् च यशस्विनः ॥
मम सैन्येषु संरब्धा विचरन्ति दवाग्निवत् ॥
तान् वारय महाबाहो केकयांश् च नरोत्तम ॥
पुरा कुर्वन्ति निःशेषं रक्ष्यमाणाः किरीटिना ॥
आदौ वा यदि वा पश्चात् तवेदं कर्म मारिष ॥
त्वम् उत्पन्नो महाबाहो पाञ्चालानां वधं प्रति ॥
करिष्यसि जगत् सर्वम् अपाञ्चालं किलाच्युत ॥
एवं सिद्धाब्रुवन् वाचो भविष्यति च तत् तथा ॥
न ते ऽस्त्रगोचरे शक्ताः स्थातुं देवाः सवासवाः ॥
किम् उ पार्थाः सपाञ्चालाः सत्यम् एतद् वचो मम ॥
ete hi somakā vipra pāñcālāś ca yaśasvinaḥ ||
mama sainyeṣu saṃrabdhā vicaranti davāgnivat ||
tān vāraya mahābāho kekayāṃś ca narottama ||
purā kurvanti niḥśeṣaṃ rakṣyamāṇāḥ kirīṭinā ||
ādau vā yadi vā paścāt tavedaṃ karma māriṣa ||
tvam utpanno mahābāho pāñcālānāṃ vadhaṃ prati ||
kariṣyasi jagat sarvam apāñcālaṃ kilācyuta ||
evaṃ siddhābruvan vāco bhaviṣyati ca tat tathā ||
na te 'stragocare śaktāḥ sthātuṃ devāḥ savāsavāḥ ||
kim u pārthāḥ sapāñcālāḥ satyam etad vaco mama ||
'For these Somakas, O brahmin, and the renowned Panchalas, inflamed within my armies, roam like a forest fire. Hold them back, mighty-armed one, and the Kekayas too, O best of men, before, protected by the Diademed One, they annihilate us utterly. Sooner or later, this is your deed, O honored one; you were born, mighty-armed one, for the slaying of the Panchalas; you will make the whole world devoid of Panchalas, they say, O Achyuta. Within the reach of your astra, even the gods headed by Vasava are unable to withstand it [-- how much less Partha and the Panchalas].'
923f91f37a36 · published Jul 19, 2026, 4:40:45 PM UTC
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Duryodhana utters an ominous prophecy: 'you were born to slay the Panchalas, you will make the world devoid of Panchalas' -- a dark foreshadowing of the night massacre in sleep [the Sauptika-parva]. It is notable that he calls this fate inevitable -- 'sooner or later.' The verse teaches that words sown in anger grow into deeds; and one driven toward wholesale slaughter becomes ready to fulfill a dread destiny -- while the one who set it in motion will reap a horror surpassing all war.