Shloka 12
Droṇa-parva Adhyāya 155 — Ghaṭotkaca-nidhana-śoka and Karṇa-śakti-vyaya
Kṛṣṇa’s strategic reassurance
भरतवंशी महाराज! जब इस प्रकार पाण्डवसैनिक युद्ध कर रहे थे, उस समय दुर्योधनने उस सेनामें प्रवेश किया ।। सैन्धवस्य वधेनैव भृशं दुःखसमन्वित: । मर्तव्यमिति संचिन्त्य प्राविशच्च द्विषद्बलम्,वह सिंधुराजके वधसे बहुत दुःखी हो गया था। अतः मरनेका ही निश्चय करके उसने शत्रुओंकी सेनामें प्रवेश किया
saindhavasya vadhenaiva bhṛśaṁ duḥkhasamanvitaḥ | martavyam iti sañcintya prāviśac ca dviṣadbalam ||
Sañjaya said: Overwhelmed with intense grief at the death of the king of Sindhu, Duryodhana resolved, “I must die,” and, with that fatal determination, plunged into the enemy host.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how intense grief can distort judgment: instead of measured kṣatriya-duty, Duryodhana’s sorrow over Jayadratha’s death hardens into a self-destructive resolve. It cautions that emotions like grief and wounded honor, when unchecked, can drive leaders toward reckless choices that deepen collective ruin.
After Jayadratha (the Saindhava king) has been slain, Duryodhana is struck with severe anguish. Concluding that death is preferable—or inevitable—he decides to throw himself into the opposing Pāṇḍava forces, entering the enemy formation in a desperate, high-risk move.