Shloka 54
Rātri-yuddhe Droṇasya prahāraḥ — Bhīmasenasya dhārtarāṣṭra-śūrānām nigrahaḥ
Night Battle: Droṇa’s Assault and Bhīma’s Suppression of Dhārtarāṣṭra Warriors
कच्चिद् दुर्योधनो मन्द: शममस्मासु धास्यति । क्या मूर्ख दुर्योधन संग्रामभूमिमें भीमसेनके हाथसे अपने भाइयोंका वध होता देखकर हमारे साथ संधि कर लेगा? || ५३ $ || दृष्टवा चान्यान् महायोधान् पातितान् धरणीतले । कच्चिद् दुर्योधनो मन्द: पश्चात्तापं गमिष्यति
sañjaya uvāca |
kaccid duryodhano mandaḥ śamam asmāsu dhāsyati |
dṛṣṭvā cānyān mahāyodhān pātitān dharaṇītale |
kaccid duryodhano mandaḥ paścāttāpaṃ gamiṣyati ||
Sañjaya said: “Will the dull-witted Duryodhana at last place his mind in peace toward us—will he accept reconciliation—after seeing his own brothers slain by Bhīmasena even on the battlefield? And having seen other great warriors also struck down and lying upon the earth, will that foolish Duryodhana finally be moved to remorse?”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical lesson that obstinate pride and hostility, when maintained despite clear signs of ruin, lead to irreversible loss; true wisdom is to seek śama (pacification and reconciliation) before destruction forces a belated paścāttāpa (remorse).
Sañjaya, reporting to Dhṛtarāṣṭra, wonders whether Duryodhana—after witnessing the slaughter of his brothers by Bhīmasena and the fall of other great warriors—will finally agree to make peace with the Pāṇḍavas or at least feel remorse for his course.