Shloka 11
धृष्टय्युम्ने सात्यकौ च भीमे चापि पराजिते । युधिष्ठिरस्य॒ तैर्वाक्यैर्मर्मण्यपि च घट्टिते
dhṛṣṭadyumne sātyakau ca bhīme cāpi parājite | yudhiṣṭhirasya tair vākyair marmāṇy api ca ghaṭṭite ||
Sañjaya said: When Dhṛṣṭadyumna, Sātyaki, and Bhīma had been defeated, and when Yudhiṣṭhira too was struck to the quick—as though their words had bruised his very vital points—the moral weight of that hour lay not only in the loss upon the battlefield, but in the piercing reproach and counsel that shook the king’s resolve and sense of duty.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights that in dharmic leadership, defeat is not only physical; words of reproach or urgent counsel can pierce deeper than weapons. A ruler like Yudhiṣṭhira is ethically tested when the suffering of allies and their pointed speech forces him to confront responsibility, resolve, and the demands of righteous action amid war.
Sañjaya reports a crisis for the Pāṇḍavas: key warriors—Dhṛṣṭadyumna, Sātyaki, and Bhīma—have been overcome. In that context, Yudhiṣṭhira is emotionally and morally shaken, as the words spoken by those involved strike him at his most sensitive points, intensifying the tension and urgency of the unfolding battle situation.