Shloka 62
युधिष्ठिरस्य धनंजय-प्रति गर्हा
Yudhiṣṭhira’s Reproach to Dhanaṃjaya
द्रौपदेयास्तथा शूरा माद्रीपुत्रो च पाण्डवौ । राजन! तब राजा युधिष्ठिर लजाते हुए-से तुरंत रणभूमिसे भाग गये। राजाको रणक्षेत्रसे हटा हुआ जानकर चेदि, पाण्डव और पांचाल वीर, महारथी सात्यकि, द्रौपदीके शूरवीर पुत्र तथा पाण्डुनन्दन माद्रीकुमार नकुल-सहदेव भी धर्म-मर्यादासे कभी च्युत न होनेवाले युधिष्ठिरके पीछे-पीछे चल दिये || ६०-६१ $ ।। ततो युधिष्ठिरानीकं दृष्टवा कर्ण: पराड्मुखम्
drauapadeyās tathā śūrā mādrīputraś ca pāṇḍavau | rājan! tataḥ rājā yudhiṣṭhiraḥ lajjāyamāna iva tūrṇaṃ raṇabhūmeḥ palāyitaḥ | rājānaṃ raṇakṣetrāt apasṛtaṃ jñātvā cedi-pāṇḍava-pāñcāla-vīrāḥ, mahārathaḥ sātyakiḥ, draupadyāḥ śūrāḥ putrāḥ, tathā pāṇḍunandanaḥ mādrīkumāraḥ nakula-sahadevau api dharma-maryādāsu kadācit acyutaṃ yudhiṣṭhiram anugacchan || 60–61 || tato yudhiṣṭhirānīkaṃ dṛṣṭvā karṇaḥ parāṅmukham …
Sañjaya said: The valiant sons of Draupadī, and the Pāṇḍava born of Mādrī as well—O King—then King Yudhiṣṭhira, as though overcome with shame, quickly fled from the battlefield. Seeing the king withdraw from the field, the warriors of the Cedis, the Pāṇḍavas, and the Pāñcālas, the great chariot-warrior Sātyaki, Draupadī’s heroic sons, and the sons of Pāṇḍu—Mādrī’s sons Nakula and Sahadeva—followed behind Yudhiṣṭhira, who never strays from the bounds of dharma. Then, seeing Yudhiṣṭhira’s army turned away, Karṇa (reacted accordingly)…
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even amid catastrophic pressure, the epic frames Yudhiṣṭhira as one who does not abandon dharma’s limits; the scene highlights the tension between kṣatriya valor and ethical self-restraint, and shows how a leader’s moral state (shame, hesitation) immediately shapes the conduct of allies who remain loyal to him.
Sañjaya reports that Yudhiṣṭhira, seemingly ashamed, withdraws quickly from the battlefield. Recognizing his retreat, allied contingents—Cedi, Pāṇḍava, and Pāñcāla warriors—along with Sātyaki, Draupadī’s sons, and Nakula-Sahadeva follow him. The next line indicates Karṇa notices Yudhiṣṭhira’s army turned away.