Shloka 8
एते द्रवन्ति पठ्चाला: कर्णत्रस्ता जनार्दन | एष दुर्योधनो राजा श्वेतच्छत्रेण धार्यता
ete dravanti pāñcālāḥ karṇatrastā janārdana | eṣa duryodhano rājā śvetacchatreṇa dhāryatā ||
Arjuna said: “O Janārdana, the Pāñcālas are fleeing, terrified of Karṇa. There is King Duryodhana—he is to be marked out by the white royal parasol.”
अजुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how fear and battlefield momentum can shift collective morale, and how kingship is publicly signaled through symbols like the white parasol—reminding that power is both psychological and ceremonial, not merely physical.
Arjuna points out to Kṛṣṇa that the Pāñcāla forces are retreating in panic due to Karṇa’s pressure, and he identifies Duryodhana on the field, distinguished by the white royal parasol carried over him.