Shloka 73
भयेन महता<<विष्ट: पुत्रो दुर्योधनस्तव । अपायाज्जवनैरश्वैः सापेक्षो मातुलं प्रति
bhayena mahatāviṣṭaḥ putro duryodhanas tava | apāyāj javanair aśvaiḥ sāpekṣo mātulaṃ prati, rājan |
Sañjaya sprach: Von großer Furcht überwältigt, o König, floh dein Sohn Duryodhana eilends auf schnellen Pferden, den Sinn zu seinem Oheim mütterlicherseits gewandt—um Śakunis Leben zu schützen, nachdem der Bogenschütze Bhīmasena ihn besiegt hatte.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how fear and attachment can abruptly reshape conduct in war: even a proud warrior may retreat when shaken, and familial loyalty (concern for the maternal uncle) can become the immediate motive. Ethically, it points to the tension between kṣatriya ideals of steadfastness and the human impulses of भय (fear) and सापेक्षता (protective concern).
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Duryodhana, terrified after Śakuni has been overcome by the bowman Bhīmasena, quickly escapes on swift horses, moving with concern toward his maternal uncle—implicitly to secure Śakuni’s safety.