Shloka 73
भयेन महता<<विष्ट: पुत्रो दुर्योधनस्तव । अपायाज्जवनैरश्वैः सापेक्षो मातुलं प्रति
bhayena mahatāviṣṭaḥ putro duryodhanas tava | apāyāj javanair aśvaiḥ sāpekṣo mātulaṃ prati, rājan |
Sañjaya said: Overwhelmed by great fear, O King, your son Duryodhana fled swiftly on fast horses, turning his concern toward his maternal uncle—seeking to safeguard Śakuni’s life after he had been defeated by the bowman Bhīmasena.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how fear and attachment can abruptly reshape conduct in war: even a proud warrior may retreat when shaken, and familial loyalty (concern for the maternal uncle) can become the immediate motive. Ethically, it points to the tension between kṣatriya ideals of steadfastness and the human impulses of भय (fear) and सापेक्षता (protective concern).
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Duryodhana, terrified after Śakuni has been overcome by the bowman Bhīmasena, quickly escapes on swift horses, moving with concern toward his maternal uncle—implicitly to secure Śakuni’s safety.