Shloka 40
द्रोणपर्व (अध्याय ११२) — कर्णभीमयोर्युद्धम्, दुर्योधनस्य रक्षणादेशः
Droṇa-parva 112: Karṇa–Bhīma Engagement and Duryodhana’s Protective Order
कौरवाश्न यथा हृष्टा विनदन्ति मुहुर्मुहुः । तब पाण्डुपुत्र राजा युधिष्ठिर मोहके वशीभूत होकर इस प्रकार चिन्ता करने लगे --'जिस प्रकार शंखराज पांचजन्यकी ध्वनि हो रही है और जिस तरह कौरव-सैनिक बारंबार हर्षनाद कर रहे हैं, उससे जान पड़ता है, निश्चय ही अर्जुनकी कुशल नहीं है” ।। ३९ कल | एवं स चिन्तयित्वा तु व्याकुलेनान्तरात्मना,ऐसा विचारकर अजातशत्रु कुन्तीकुमार युधिष्ठिरका हृदय व्याकुल हो उठा। वे चाहते थे कि जयद्रथवधका कार्य निर्विष्न पूर्ण हो जाय; अतः बारंबार मोहित हो अश्रुगद्गद वाणीमें शिनिप्रवर सात्यकिको सम्बोधित करके बोले
sañjaya uvāca | kauravāś ca yathā hṛṣṭā vinadanti muhur muhuḥ |
Sañjaya said: “And as the Kauravas, exultant, keep raising their loud cries again and again, it appears that their confidence has surged—suggesting to the anxious mind of Yudhiṣṭhira that Arjuna’s welfare may be in doubt. In the moral pressure of war, the sound of conches and the enemy’s repeated acclamation becomes an omen-like signal, stirring fear for a righteous aim (the slaying of Jayadratha) and compassion for one’s own.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how external signs—enemy jubilation and repeated war-cries—can shake even a dharmic leader’s composure. It implicitly teaches vigilance over one’s mind: in war, perception and morale can become ethical tests, demanding steadiness and discernment rather than panic.
Sañjaya reports that the Kaurava forces are repeatedly shouting in joy. This battlefield reaction functions as a signal of shifting advantage, setting the stage for Yudhiṣṭhira’s growing worry about Arjuna and the urgent objective of Jayadratha’s death.