तम् आपतन्तं सहसा धर्मराजभुजच्युतम् ॥
द्विधा चिच्छेद हार्दिक्यः कृतहस्तः स्मयन्न् इव ॥
ततः शरशतेनाजौ धर्मपुत्रम् अवाकिरत् ॥
कवचं चास्य संक्रुद्धः शरैस् तीक्ष्णैर् अदारयत् ॥
हार्दिक्यशरसंछिन्नं कवचं तन् महात्मनः ॥
व्यशीर्यत रणे राजंस् ताराजालम् इवाम्बरात् ॥
स छिन्नधन्वा विरथः शीर्णवर्मा शरार्दितः ॥
अपायासीद् रणात् तूर्णं धर्मपुत्रो युधिष्ठिरः ॥
कृतवर्मा तु निर्जित्य धर्मपुत्रं युधिष्ठिरम् ॥
पुनर् द्रोणस्य जुगुपे चक्रम् एव महाबलः ॥
tam āpatantaṃ sahasā dharmarājabhujacyutam ||
dvidhā ciccheda hārdikyaḥ kṛtahastaḥ smayann iva ||
tataḥ śaraśatenājau dharmaputram avākirat ||
kavacaṃ cāsya saṃkruddhaḥ śarais tīkṣṇair adārayat ||
hārdikyaśarasaṃchinnaṃ kavacaṃ tan mahātmanaḥ ||
vyaśīryata raṇe rājaṃs tārājālam ivāmbarāt ||
sa chinnadhanvā virathaḥ śīrṇavarmā śarārditaḥ ||
apāyāsīd raṇāt tūrṇaṃ dharmaputro yudhiṣṭhiraḥ ||
kṛtavarmā tu nirjitya dharmaputraṃ yudhiṣṭhiram ||
punar droṇasya jugupe cakram eva mahābalaḥ ||
That dart, suddenly flying, sprung loose from the arm of Dharmaraja, the son of Hridika cut in two, skilled of hand, as though smiling. Then with a hundred arrows in the fight he covered the son of Dharma, and, enraged, tore his armor apart with sharp arrows. That armor of the great-souled one, cut through by the son of Hridika's arrows, scattered in battle, O king, like a net of stars from the sky. He, his bow cut, chariotless, his armor shattered, tormented by arrows, swiftly withdrew from the battle — the son of Dharma, Yudhishthira. And Kritavarman, having conquered the son of Dharma, Yudhishthira, went again to guard the very wheel of Drona, the mighty one.
9cb0b04d15be · published Jul 19, 2026, 4:40:46 PM UTC
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Yudhishthira's armor scatters "like a net of stars from the sky" — even the defeat of the righteous is clothed in an image of celestial beauty in ruin. It is telling that the king of righteousness retreats, stripped of everything: the highest virtue does not promise certain victory in battle. The verse teaches that even the righteous may be defeated, and there is no shame in it — to withdraw when strength is spent is more worthy than a reckless death; and the true superiority of dharma shows itself not on the field of battle, but in another, unseen dimension.