Mahabharata · 16.1.10-11
॥
Devanāgarī
निधनं वासुदेवस्य समुद्रस्येव शोषणम् ॥
वीरा न श्रद्दधुस् तस्य विनाशं शार्ङ्गधन्वनः ॥
मौसलं ते परिश्रुत्य दुःखशोकसमन्विताः ॥
विषण्णा हतसंकल्पाः पाण्डवाः समुपाविशन् ॥
Transliteration (IAST)
nidhanaṃ vāsudevasya samudrasyeva śoṣaṇam ||
vīrā na śraddadhuḥ tasya vināśaṃ śārṅgadhanvanaḥ ||
mausalaṃ te pariśrutya duḥkhaśokasamanvitāḥ ||
viṣaṇṇā hatasaṃkalpāḥ pāṇḍavāḥ samupāviśan ||
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
निधनं वासुदेवस्यnidhanaṃ vāsudevasyathe death of Vasudeva
समुद्रस्येव शोषणम्samudrasyeva śoṣaṇamlike the drying up of the ocean
वीरा न श्रद्दधुःvīrā na śraddadhuḥthe heroes did not believe
तस्य विनाशं शार्ङ्गधन्वनःtasya vināśaṃ śārṅgadhanvanaḥin his death, the Bearer of the Sharnga bow
मौसलं ते परिश्रुत्यmausalaṃ te pariśrutyahaving heard of the club-massacre
दुःखशोकसमन्विताःduḥkhaśokasamanvitāḥoverwhelmed by grief and sorrow
विषण्णा हतसंकल्पाःviṣaṇṇā hatasaṃkalpāḥdespondent, bereft of will
पाण्डवाः समुपाविशन्pāṇḍavāḥ samupāviśanthe Pandavas sank down
Translation
The death of Vasudeva was as the drying up of the ocean; the heroes could not believe in the death of him who bears the Sharnga bow. Having heard of the club-massacre, overwhelmed with grief and sorrow, despondent and bereft of will, the Pandavas sank into silence.
Version
629acea26952 · published Jun 21, 2026, 1:00:00 AM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
"The death of Vasudeva is like the drying up of the ocean": Krishna's departure seems as impossible as the exhaustion of the boundless sea, and the heroes "do not believe" in it, for in their hearts He is indestructible. In this disbelief lies an intuition of truth: the Lord does not perish but merely conceals His form, completing His earthly lila. Outwardly, however, the loss of Him plunges the Pandavas into helplessness — "bereft of will" — for with Him departed the very foundation of their lives. The verse teaches that the Supreme who has appeared in the world is not subject to destruction, and His departure is not death but concealment; yet for hearts that love Him, separation from the Lord is a loss surpassing all others, stripping the world of meaning and will — until it is revealed to them that He abides eternally.