Shloka 353
अर्जुनस्य शीघ्रप्रयाणं भीम-शकुनियुद्धं च
Arjuna’s Rapid Advance and the Bhīma–Śakuni Encounter
भ्रातरं पर्यरक्षन्त सोदरा भरतर्षभ । भरतश्रेष्ठ] रणभूमिमें जिसके कवच और आयुध छिल्न-भिन्न हो गये थे, उस रथहीन दुर्योधनकी उसके सगे भाई सब ओरसे रक्षा करने लगे
bhrātaraṃ paryarakṣanta sodarā bharatarṣabha | raṇabhūmau yasya kavacaṃ cāyudhaṃ ca chinna-bhinnaṃ babhūva taṃ rathahīnaṃ duryodhanaṃ te tasya saga-bhrātaraḥ sarvataḥ paryarakṣanta |
Sañjaya said: O bull among the Bharatas, Duryodhana—now without a chariot, and with his armor and weapons shattered on the battlefield—was surrounded and protected on all sides by his own full brothers. The scene shows how, even amid war’s moral collapse, familial loyalty and the duty of comradeship can become a last refuge for a fallen leader.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the power of kinship-duty (bandhu-dharma) in war: when a leader is vulnerable, his closest relations rally to protect him. Ethically, it shows how loyalty can persist even within an unrighteous campaign—raising the tension between personal duty to family and the broader demands of dharma.
On the battlefield, Duryodhana has lost his chariot and his armor and weapons are damaged. Seeing him exposed, his full brothers surround him and guard him from all sides to prevent his being slain or overwhelmed.