Mahabharata 7.175.56 — Drona Parva, Adhyaya 175, Shloka 56
पाण्डवानां प्रभग्नानां कर्णेन निशि सायकै: । मज्जतां धार्तराष्ट्रेषु भव पारं परंतप
pāṇḍavānāṁ prabhagnānāṁ karṇena niśi sāyakaiḥ | majjatāṁ dhārtarāṣṭreṣu bhava pāraṁ paraṁtapa, paraṁtapa ||
Vāyu dit : «Les troupes des Pāṇḍava ont été brisées par les flèches de Karṇa dans la nuit. Tandis qu’elles sombrent au milieu des Dhārtarāṣṭra, deviens pour elles la rive lointaine—ô fléau des ennemis, ô fléau des ennemis !»
श्रीवायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
In the midst of catastrophic defeat, one must act as a refuge for those overwhelmed—turning strength into protection. The metaphor of “becoming the far shore” frames leadership as enabling others to cross danger rather than abandoning them to the flood of adversity.
Vāyu addresses a warrior (called “paraṁtapa”), describing how Karṇa’s night-time volleys have broken the Pāṇḍava troops. The Pāṇḍavas are pictured as drowning in the Kaurava sea, and the addressee is urged to become their ‘shore’—a stabilizing support that saves them from collapse.
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.