Shloka 29
अध्याय ८० — मध्यंदिन-रणवृत्तान्तः
Yudhiṣṭhira–Śrutāyu encounter; Cekitāna–Gautama clash; Abhimanyu pressure; Arjuna’s redeployment
अस्वस्ति तस्य कुर्वन्ति देवा: शक्रपुरोगमा: । यः सहायान् परित्यज्य स्वस्तिमानाव्रजेद् गृहम्,“जो अपने सहायकोंको छोड़कर स्वयं कुशल-पूर्वक घरको लौट आता है, उसका इन्द्र आदि देवता अनिष्ट करते हैं
asvasti tasya kurvanti devāḥ śakrapurogamāḥ | yaḥ sahāyān parityajya svastimān āvrajed gṛham ||
Sañjaya sprach: Die Götter, von Indra angeführt, bringen Unheil über jenen Mann, der seine Gefährten verlässt und, nur auf die eigene Sicherheit bedacht, unverletzt nach Hause zurückkehrt.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
One should not abandon companions in danger for the sake of personal safety; desertion violates dharma, and the tradition frames it as attracting divine disfavor (misfortune) from Indra and the gods.
Sañjaya, narrating the war context, states a moral judgment: a person who leaves his allies behind and returns home safely is condemned—symbolically punished by the gods—highlighting the expected conduct of warriors and comrades on the battlefield.