Mahabharata · 7.173.1
॥
Devanāgarī
धृतराष्ट्र उवाच
तस्मिन्न् अतिरथे द्रोणे निहते तत्र संजय ॥
मामकाः पाण्डवाश् चैव किम् अकुर्वन्न् अतः परम् ॥
Transliteration (IAST)
dhṛtarāṣṭra uvāca
tasminn atirathe droṇe nihate tatra saṃjaya ||
māmakāḥ pāṇḍavāś caiva kim akurvann ataḥ param ||
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
तस्मिन् अतिरथे द्रोणेtasmin atirathe droṇewhen that atiratha Drona; when that atiratha Drona
निहते तत्र संजयnihate tatra saṃjayais slain there, O Sanjaya; is struck down there, O Sanjaya
मामकाः पाण्डवाः च एवmāmakāḥ pāṇḍavāḥ ca evamy [warriors] and the Pandavas; my [warriors] and the Pandavas
किम् अकुर्वन् अतः परम्kim akurvan ataḥ paramwhat did they do next; what did they do next
Translation
[Dhritarashtra said:] "When that atiratha Drona was slain there, O Sanjaya, what did my [warriors] and the Pandavas do next?"
Version
a7c5d5940a50 · published Jul 19, 2026, 5:12:46 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The blind king again asks about the deeds that followed Drona's death — the narrative moves forward driven by his relentless wish to know. It is telling that the question comes on the very threshold of a great revelation about Mahadeva: behind earthly events their divine ground is about to be uncovered. The verse teaches that a deeper meaning stands behind the succession of outward deeds; the one who merely asks "what happened next" sometimes receives, in reply, an answer about Who stands behind everything.