Mahabharata 9.13.37 — Shalya Parva, Adhyaya 13, Shloka 37
Book 9 (Śalya-parva), Adhyāya 13 — Arjuna’s Arrow-storm and the Drauṇi Confrontation
समावृतांस्ततस्तांस्तु राजन् वीक्ष्य स्वसैनिकान् | चिन्तयामास समरे धर्मपुत्रो युधिष्ठिर:
samāvṛtāṁs tatas tāṁs tu rājan vīkṣya svasainikān | cintayāmāsa samare dharmaputro yudhiṣṭhiraḥ ||
Sañjaya said: Then, O King, seeing his own troops on the battlefield covered over with arrows, Yudhiṣṭhira—the son of Dharma—began to reflect inwardly, weighed down by concern amid the clash of war.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even in the midst of war, the truly dharmic leader does not become numb to suffering; he pauses to reflect on the cost borne by his own people, showing that ethical awareness and responsibility remain essential under extreme pressure.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Yudhiṣṭhira looks upon his own soldiers, now struck and covered with arrows, and begins an inward deliberation—setting up the next passage where his thoughts and concerns are expressed.
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