Shloka 13
रथचिह्नवर्णनम् / Description of Chariot Standards and Allied Advances
अर्दयमाना: शरैरेते रुक्मपुड्खैर्महात्मना । पथा नैकेन गच्छन्ति घूर्णमानास्ततस्तत:,महामना द्रोणके सुवर्णमय पंखयुक्त बाणोंद्वारा पीड़ित होकर ये इधर-उधर चक्कर काटते हुए एक ही मार्गसे नहीं भाग रहे हैं
ardayamānāḥ śarair ete rukmapuṅkhair mahātmanā | pathā naikena gacchanti ghūrṇamānās tatas tataḥ ||
Duryodhana said: “Struck and harassed by the great warrior’s arrows—golden-feathered shafts—these men do not flee by a single clear route. Reeling in confusion, they whirl and scatter here and there.”
दुर्योधन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how overwhelming force and superior martial skill can break cohesion and clarity in an army; ethical leadership in war requires steadiness and disciplined order, since panic and disarray quickly multiply suffering.
Duryodhana observes (and laments) that his side’s warriors, struck by the great archer’s golden-feathered arrows—understood in context as Droṇa’s assault—are not retreating in an organized way but are staggering and scattering in many directions.