Mahabharata — Shalya Parva, Shloka 136
अध्याय ३: कृपस्य दुर्योधनं प्रति नीत्युपदेशः
Kṛpa’s Counsel to Duryodhana
तथा त्वदीया निहते सूतपुत्रे तदाभवन् । जैसे सर्पों और लुटेरोंसे भरे हुए जंगलमें अपने साथियोंसे बिछुड़े हुए लोग अनाथके समान भटकते हैं, वही दशा उस समय सूतपुत्र कर्णके मारे जानेपर आपके सैनिकोंकी हुई
sañjaya uvāca |
tathā tvadīyā nihate sūtaputre tadābhavan |
yathā sarpair ca taskaraiś ca pūrṇe kānane svasaṅgāt vibhraṣṭā janā anāthā iva bhramanti, tathā tadā sūtaputra-karṇe nihate tava sainyānāṃ daśā babhūva |
Sanjaya said: When the charioteer’s son (Karna) was slain, your troops became like people lost from their companions in a forest teeming with serpents and robbers—wandering helplessly as if without a protector. Thus, at the fall of Karna, your army’s condition turned to confusion, fear, and leaderless distress.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how an army’s moral and strategic stability depends on trusted leaders: when a central champion falls, fear and disorientation spread, and people behave like the unprotected—showing the ethical weight of responsibility borne by great warriors and commanders.
Sanjaya reports to Duryodhana that after Karna was killed, the Kaurava soldiers lost cohesion and confidence. He compares their condition to travelers separated from their group in a dangerous forest, wandering helplessly amid threats.
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