Mahabharata 7.79.8 — Drona Parva, Adhyaya 79, Shloka 8
Jayadratha-rakṣā: Conch Signals and Encirclement of Arjuna
Chapter 79
यो<स्तूयत पुरा हृष्टे: सूतमागधवन्दिभि: । सोड्द्य क्रव्यादगणैघोरिविनदद्धिरुपास्यते
yo 'stūyata purā hṛṣṭaiḥ sūta-māgadha-vandibhiḥ | so 'dya kravyāda-gaṇaiḥ ghora-vinaddhair upāsyate ||
Sañjaya sprach: Den, den einst die Barden—Sūtas, Māgadhas und Lobredner—mit jubelndem Herzen priesen, den scheint heute, im schaurigen Getöse, gleichsam ein Rudel furchtbarer fleischfressender Kreaturen mit grimmigem Gebrüll zu „verehrten“.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the fragility of worldly glory: one who once received celebratory praise from professional bards is now surrounded by the ominous ‘service’ of scavengers. It ethically frames war as a force that overturns honor into horror, reminding the listener of impermanence and the cost of violence.
Sañjaya describes a fallen or doomed warrior/hero: formerly acclaimed by sūtas, māgadhas, and vandins, he is now on the battlefield where flesh-eating creatures gather, roaring terribly, as if performing a grim kind of worship around the dead.
Ask anything about this verse
Curious about the meaning, context, or a word? Ask, and continue the conversation in the Vedapath app.
A free Google sign-in keeps your chat saved across web and the app.
Read Mahabharata in the Vedapath app
Scan the QR code to open this directly in the app, with audio, word-by-word meanings, and more.