Shloka 10
सुवर्णमय रथवाले आचार्य द्रोणके मारे जानेका समाचार सुनकर गान्धारराज शकुनि त्रस्त हो उठा और अत्यन्त डरे हुए अपने रथियोंके साथ युद्धभूमिसे भाग चला ।। वरूथिनीं वेगवतीं विद्रुतां सपताकिनीम् । परिगृहा महासेनां सूतपुत्रो5पयाद् भयात्,सूतपुत्र कर्ण भी ध्वजा-पताकाओंसे सुशोभित एवं बड़े वेगसे भागी हुई अपनी विशाल सेनाको साथ ले भयके मारे वहाँसे भाग खड़ा हुआ
sañjaya uvāca |
varūthinīṁ vegavatīṁ vidrutāṁ sapatākinīm |
parigṛhya mahāsenāṁ sūtaputro ’payād bhayāt ||
Sañjaya said: Taking along his great host—its formations broken, rushing in flight, yet still marked with banners and standards—the charioteer’s son Karṇa withdrew from that place out of fear. Hearing the report that Ācārya Droṇa had been slain, Śakuni, king of Gandhāra, was shaken with alarm and, terrified, fled the battlefield with his charioteers.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage highlights how fear and the loss of a guiding leader can unravel even a powerful force. Ethically, it points to the instability of courage grounded only in external supports (commanders, momentum, reputation) rather than in inner resolve aligned with dharma.
After the news that Ācārya Droṇa has been killed, panic spreads among the Kaurava side. Śakuni of Gāndhāra flees, and Karṇa too withdraws, taking his bannered but rapidly retreating great army with him.