Mahabharata · Chapter 3.18
sālvabāṇārdite tasminpradyumne balināṃvare /
vṛṣṇayo bhagnasankalpā vivyathuḥ pṛtanāmukhe //
hāhākṛtamabhūtsarvaṃ vṛṣṇyandhakabalaṃ tataḥ /
pradyumne mohite rājansālvaḥ pramudito'bhavat //
taṃ tathā mohitaṃ dṛṣṭvā sārathirjavanairhayaiḥ /
raṇādapāharattūrṇaṃ śikṣito dārukistadā //
nātidūrāpayāte tu rathe rathavarapraṇut /
dhanurgṛhītvā yantāraṃ labdhasajño'bravīdidam //
saute kiṃ te vyavasitaṃ kasmādyāsi parāṅmukhaḥ /
naiṣa vṛṣṇipravīrāṇāmāhave dharma ucyate //
kaccitsaute na te mohaḥ sālvaṃ dṛṣṭvā mahāhave /
viṣādo vā raṇam̐ dṛṣṭvā brūhi me tvaṃ yathātatham //
sautiruvāca /
jānārdane na me moho nāpi māṃ bhayamāviśat /
atibhāraṃ tu te manye sālvaṃ keśavanandana //
sobhiyāti śanairvīra balavāneṣa pāpakṛt /
mohitaśca raṇe śūro rakṣyaḥ sārathinā rathī //
āyuṣmaṃstvaṃ mayā nityaṃ rakṣitavyastvayā'pyaham /
rakṣitavyo raṇe nityamiti kṛtvā'payāmyaham //
ekaścāsi mahābāho bahavaścāpi dānavāḥ /
na samaṃ raukmiṇeyāhaṃ raṇae matvā'payāmi vā //
vāsudeva uvāca /
evaṃ bruvati sūte tu tadā makaraketumān /
uvāca sūtaṃ kauravya sannivartya rathaṃ punaḥ //
dārukātmaja maivaṃ tvaṃ punaḥ kārṣīḥ kathañcana /
nyapayānaṃ raṇātsaute jīvato mama karhicit //
na sa vṛṣṇikule jāto yo vai tyajati sangaram /
yo vā nipatitaṃ hanti tavāsmīti ca vādinam //
tathā striyaṃ ca yo hanti bālaṃ vṛddhaṃ tathaiva ca /
virathaṃ muktakeśaṃ ca bhagnaśastrāyudhaṃ tathā //
tvaṃ ca sūtakule jāto viditaḥ sūtakarmaṇi /
dharmajñaścāsi vṛṣṇīnāmāhaveṣvapi dāruke //
sa jānaṃścaritaṃ kṛtsnaṃ vṛṣṇīnāṃ pṛtanāmukhe /
apayānaṃ puna saute maivaṃ kārṣīḥ kathañcana //
apayātaṃ hataṃ pṛṣṭhe bhrāntaṃ raṇapalāyitam /
gadāgrajo durādharṣaḥ kiṃ māṃ vakṣyati mādhavaḥ //
keśavasyāgrajo vā'pi nīlavāsā madotkaṭaḥ /
kiṃ vakṣyati mahābāhurbaladevaḥ samāgataḥ //
kiṃ vakṣyatiśinernaptā raṇasiṃho mahārathaḥ /
apayātaṃ raṇātsūta sāmbaśca samitiñjayaḥ //
cārudeṣṇaśca durdharṣastathaiva gadasāraṇau /
akrūraśca mahābāhuḥ kiṃ māṃ vakṣyati sārathe //
śūraṃ sambhāvitaṃ śāntaṃ nityaṃ puruṣamāninam /
striyaśca vṛṣṇivīrāṇāṃ kiṃ māṃvakṣyanti sangatāḥ //
pradyumno'yamupāyāti bhītastyaktvā mahāhavam /
dhigenamiti vakṣyanti na tu vakṣyanti sādhviti //
dhigvācā parihāsopi mama vā madvidhasya vā /
mṛtyunā'bhyadhikaḥ saute sa tvaṃ māvyapayāḥ punaḥ //
bhāraṃ hi mayi sannyasya yāto madhunihā hariḥ / yajñaṃ bāratasiṃhasya na hi śakyo'dyamarṣitum /
kṛtavarmā mayā vīro niryāsyanneva vāritaḥ /
sālvaṃ nivārayiṣye'haṃ tiṣṭha tvamiti sūtaja //
sa ca sambhāvayanmāṃ vai nivṛtto hṛdikātmajaḥ /
taṃ sametya raṇaṃ tyaktvā kiṃ vakṣyāmi mahārathaṃ //
upayāntaṃ durādharṣaṃ śaṅkhacakragadādharam /
puruṣaṃ puṇḍarīkākṣaṃ kiṃ vakṣyāmi mahābhujam //
sātyakiṃ baladevaṃ ca ye cānye'ndhakavṛṣṇayaḥ /
mayā spardhanti satataṃ kiṃ nu vakṣyāmi tānahaṃ //
tyaktvā raṇamimaṃ saute pṛṣṭhato'bhyāhataḥ śaraiḥ /
tvayā'panītī vivaśo na jīveyaṃ kathañcana //
sannivarta rathenāśu punardārukanandana /
na caitadevaṃ kartavyamathāpatsu kathañcana //
na jīvitamahaṃ saute bahu manye kathañcana /
apayāto raṇādbhītaḥ pṛṣṭhato'bhyāhataḥ śaraiḥ //
kadā'pi sūtaputra tvaṃ jānīṣe māṃ bhayārditam /
apayātaṃ raṇaṃ hitvā yathā kāpuruṣaṃ tathā //
ayuktaṃ tu mayā tyaktuṃ sangrāmaṃ dārukātmaja / mayi yuddhārthini bhṛśaṃ sa tvaṃ yāhi yato raṇam //
Original text: Mahābhārata (southern recension) · Edition: Śrīman Mahābhāratam, ed. T. R. Krishnacharya and T. R. Vyasacharya, Nirnaya Sagar Press, Bombay 1906–1910; e-text by SARIT (Shrinivasa Varakhedi and others) · SARIT: Search and Retrieval of Indic Texts · SARIT (e-text) via Internet Archive · CC BY-SA 3.0