Shloka 11
नाशंसन्तो जयं युद्धे दीनात्मानो धनंजय । आत्मत्राणे मतिं कृत्वा प्राद्रवन् कुरवो रणात्
nāśaṃsanto jayaṃ yuddhe dīnātmāno dhanaṃjaya | ātmatrāṇe matiṃ kṛtvā prādravan kuravo raṇāt |
Yudhiṣṭhira sprach: „Dhanañjaya! Da sie im Kampf keinen Sieg mehr erhofften, wurden die Kauravas mutlos; sie dachten nur noch an die Rettung ihres eigenen Lebens und flohen vom Schlachtfeld.“
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how inner resolve determines conduct in crisis: when hope of victory collapses, fear and self-preservation can override martial duty, leading to retreat. It implicitly contrasts steadfastness with a mind dominated by survival-anxiety.
Yudhiṣṭhira reports that the Kaurava forces, despairing of winning against Arjuna (Dhanañjaya) and the Pāṇḍavas, became demoralized and fled the battlefield, focusing only on saving their lives.