Shloka 49
युधिष्ठिरस्य धनंजय-प्रति गर्हा
Yudhiṣṭhira’s Reproach to Dhanaṃjaya
तैर्युक्ते रथमास्थाय प्रायाद् राजा पराड्मुख: । उस समय दाँतोंके समान सफेद रंग और काली पूँछवाले जो घोड़े युधिष्ठिरकी सवारीमें थे
tair yukte ratham āsthāya prāyād rājā parāṅmukhaḥ |
Sañjaya said: Mounting a chariot yoked with those very horses, the king (Yudhiṣṭhira) turned his face away from the battle and set out toward the camp. In that moment the moral strain of war stood revealed: even a righteous ruler, overwhelmed by the tide of combat and the collapse of order, withdraws—showing human frailty and the grave ethical cost of fratricidal conflict.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical and psychological burden of war: even a dharmic king may be driven to withdraw when the battle turns chaotic. It underscores that righteousness is tested not only by ideals but by endurance under extreme violence and loss.
Sañjaya reports that King Yudhiṣṭhira mounts a chariot harnessed with the same horses and turns away from the battlefield, heading toward the camp—indicating a retreat amid the pressure of the ongoing conflict.