Shloka 3
अर्जुनकर्णयोर्युद्धवर्णनम्
Description of the Arjuna–Karṇa Engagement and Counsel to Duryodhana
अपश्यमानस्तु किरीटमाली युधिष्ठिरं भ्रातरमाजमीढम् । उवाच भीम॑ तरसाभ्युपेत्य राज्ञ: प्रवृत्ति त्विह कुत्र राजा,परंतु वहाँ अपने भाई अजमीढकुलनन्दन युधिष्ठिरको न देखकर किरीटधारी अर्जुनने बड़े वेगसे भीमसेनके पास जा उनसे राजाका समाचार पूछते हुए कहा--'भैया! इस समय हमारे महाराज कहाँ हैं?”
apaśyamānas tu kirīṭamālī yudhiṣṭhiraṁ bhrātaram ājamīḍham | uvāca bhīmaṁ tarasābhyupetya rājñaḥ pravṛttiṁ tv iha kutra rājā ||
Not seeing Yudhiṣṭhira—his brother, the descendant of Ajāmīḍha—Arjuna, the wearer of the diadem, hurried up to Bhīma and asked about the king’s condition: “Brother, where is our king here at this moment?”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even amid battle, dharma expresses itself as responsibility toward rightful leadership and kin: Arjuna’s first impulse is to ascertain the king’s safety and situation, showing that strategic action should be guided by concern for the ruler and the larger order he represents.
Sañjaya reports that Arjuna cannot find Yudhiṣṭhira on the field; he quickly approaches Bhīma and urgently asks where the king is and what his condition/situation is.