Mahabharata 7.45.5 — Drona Parva, Adhyaya 45, Shloka 5
Droṇa-parva Adhyāya 45: Saubhadra–Lakṣmaṇa-saṃyoga and Kaurava Counter-Encirclement
अहं पूर्वमहं पूर्वमिति क्षत्रियपुड़वा: । स्पर्धमाना: समाजम्मुर्जिघांसन्तो<र्जुनात्मजम्
ahaṁ pūrvam ahaṁ pūrvam iti kṣatriya-puṅgavāḥ | spardhamānāḥ samājaṁ mumur jighāṁsanto 'rjunātmajam ||
ಸಂಜಯನು ಹೇಳಿದನು—“ನಾನು ಮೊದಲು, ನಾನು ಮೊದಲು” ಎಂದು ಕ್ಷತ್ರಿಯಪುಂಗವರು ಪರಸ್ಪರ ಸ್ಪರ್ಧಿಸುತ್ತ ಗುಂಪಾಗಿ ಮುನ್ನುಗ್ಗಿ, ಅರ್ಜುನನ ಪುತ್ರನನ್ನು ಕೊಲ್ಲಬೇಕೆಂಬ ಆಸೆಯಿಂದ ಅವನ ಮೇಲೆ ಎರಗಿದರು।
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores how ego-driven competition (“I first”) can overpower discernment and dharma, turning warfare into a contest for personal credit rather than a restrained, principled engagement.
A group of leading warriors, spurred by rivalry, rush together as a crowd with the shared aim of killing Arjuna’s son, Abhimanyu, as Sanjaya reports the battlefield events.
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.