Shloka 17
धृष्टद्युम्नस्य द्रोणरथारोহণं सात्यकेः प्रतिरक्षणं च | Dhrishtadyumna Boards Droṇa’s Chariot; Sātyaki’s Counter-Protection
संजय उवाच एवं संकथयन्तौ तौ प्रविष्टोी शिबिरं स््वकम् । ददृशाते भृशास्वस्थान् पाण्डवान् नष्टचेतस:,संजय कहते हैं--राजन्! इस प्रकार बातें करते हुए उन दोनोंने शिविरमें पहुँचकर देखा कि पाण्डव अत्यन्त व्याकुल और हतोत्साह हो रहे हैं
sañjaya uvāca evaṁ saṅkathayantau tau praviṣṭau śibiraṁ svakam | dadṛśāte bhṛśāsvasthān pāṇḍavān naṣṭacetasaḥ ||
Sañjaya said: “O King, while those two were thus conversing, they entered their own camp and saw the Pāṇḍavas in a grievously unsettled state—their minds shaken and their resolve broken.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical and psychological cost of war: even righteous warriors can become mentally unmoored when confronted with loss and uncertainty. It underscores the need for steadiness of mind and responsible leadership in moments of collective despair.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that two individuals, while talking, enter their own camp and witness the Pāṇḍavas in extreme agitation and discouragement, indicating a turning point of anxiety within the Pāṇḍava side.