Mahabharata · 7.165.46–47
॥
Devanāgarī
वितुन्नाङ्गं शरशतैर् न्यस्तायुधम् असृक्क्षरम् ॥
धिक्कृतः पार्षतस् तं तु सर्वभूतैः परामृशत् ॥
तस्य मूर्धानम् आलम्ब्य गतसत्त्वस्य देहिनः ॥
किं चिद् अब्रुवतः कायाद् विचकर्तासिना शिरः ॥
Transliteration (IAST)
vitunnāṅgaṃ śaraśatair nyastāyudham asṛkkṣaram ||
dhikkṛtaḥ pārṣatas taṃ tu sarvabhūtaiḥ parāmṛśat ||
tasya mūrdhānam ālambya gatasattvasya dehinaḥ ||
kiṃ cid abruvataḥ kāyād vicakartāsinā śiraḥ ||
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
वितुन्नाङ्गम् शरशतैःvitunnāṅgam śaraśataiḥthe body pierced by hundreds of arrows; the body cut through by hundreds of arrows
न्यस्तायुधम् असृक्क्षरम्nyastāyudham asṛkkṣaramof one who had laid down his weapon, streaming blood; of one who had laid down his weapon, bleeding
धिक्कृतः पार्षतः तम् तुdhikkṛtaḥ pārṣataḥ tam tureviled, Parshata him nonetheless; condemned, Parshata him nonetheless
सर्वभूतैः परामृशत्sarvabhūtaiḥ parāmṛśatby all beings, touched [seized]; by all creatures, [nonetheless] seized
तस्य मूर्धानम् आलम्ब्यtasya mūrdhānam ālambyahaving grasped his head; having taken hold of his head
गतसत्त्वस्य देहिनःgatasattvasya dehinaḥof the embodied one bereft of life; of the embodied one deprived of life
किं चित् अब्रुवतः कायात्kiṃ cit abruvataḥ kāyātsaying nothing, from the body; uttering nothing, from the body
विचकर्त असिना शिरःvicakarta asinā śiraḥcut off the head with a sword; cut off the head with a sword
Translation
The body, pierced by hundreds of arrows, of one who had laid down his weapon, streaming with blood -- him Parshata, reviled by all beings, nonetheless seized. Grasping the head of that embodied one, already bereft of life, saying nothing, he cut off the head from the body with his sword.
Version
8d327f78434f · published Jul 19, 2026, 5:08:17 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
Dhrishtadyumna cuts the head from a body already lifeless and unarmed -- and does so "reviled by all beings." Significant is that the text does not spare the victor: creation itself passes judgment on the dishonorable blow. The verse teaches that a goal reached by trampling dharma bears an ineffaceable stain; and vengeance that oversteps its bound turns from triumph into disgrace, one that weighs on the avenger more heavily than on the fallen.