Shloka 5

Devanagari script

नरेश्वरर उन सबका अभिप्राय जानकर राजा शल्यकी अनुमति ले आपके पुत्र दुर्योधनने सेनाको लौटनेकी आज्ञा दी ।। कृतवर्मा रथैस्तूर्ण वृतों भारत तावकै: । नारायणावशेषैश्व शिबिरायैव दुद्गुवे,भारत! नारायणी-सेनाके जो वीर शेष रह गये थे, उनसे तथा आपके अन्य रथी योद्धाओंसे घिरा हुआ कृतवर्मा भी तुरंत शिबिरकी ओर ही भाग चला

Transliteration

sañjaya uvāca |

ṛteśvaras tu teṣāṁ sarvān abhiprāyān viditvā rājā śalyasyānumatiṁ labdhvā tava putro duryodhanaḥ senāṁ nivartayitum ājñāṁ dadau ||

kṛtavarmā rathais tūrṇaṁ vṛto bhārata tāvakaiḥ |

nārāyaṇāvaśeṣaiś ca śibirāyaiva dudruve ||

Translation

Sañjaya said: Understanding the intention of all those warriors, and having obtained King Śalya’s consent, your son Duryodhana ordered the army to withdraw. Then Kṛtavarmā—quickly surrounded by your chariot-fighters and by the remaining heroes of the Nārāyaṇī force—fled straight toward the camp.

Word by Word

• [{'term': 'sañjaya uvāca', 'definition': 'Sañjaya said (narrator reporting to Dhṛtarāṣṭra)'}, {'term': 'abhiprāya', 'definition': 'intention, inner resolve, plan'}, {'term': 'viditvā', 'definition': 'having known/understood'}, {'term': 'anumati', 'definition': 'permission, consent'}, {'term': 'śalya', 'definition': 'King Śalya (commander/elder ally in the Kaurava camp)'}, {'term': 'duryodhana', 'definition': 'Duryodhana, son of Dhṛtarāṣṭra'}, {'term': 'senā', 'definition': 'army'}, {'term': 'nivartayitum', 'definition': 'to turn back, to withdraw'}, {'term': 'ājñā', 'definition': 'command, order'}, {'term': 'kṛtavarmā', 'definition': 'Kṛtavarmā (Bhoja/Yādava ally of the Kauravas)'}, {'term': 'ratha', 'definition': 'chariot

• by extension, chariot-warriors'}, {'term': 'tūrṇam', 'definition': 'swiftly, at once'}, {'term': 'tāvakāḥ', 'definition': 'your men (i.e., the Kaurava side, addressed to Dhṛtarāṣṭra)'}, {'term': 'nārāyaṇāvaśeṣāḥ', 'definition': 'the remaining (surviving) warriors of the Nārāyaṇī army'}, {'term': 'śibira', 'definition': 'camp, military encampment'}, {'term': 'dudruve', 'definition': 'ran, fled, hurried away'}]

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Duryodhana
• Śalya
• Kṛtavarmā
• Nārāyaṇī-senā (Nārāyaṇa’s contingent)
• Śibira (camp)
• Dhṛtarāṣṭra (implied by 'tāvakāḥ' and narrative frame)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how leadership decisions in war hinge on reading collective intent and seeking counsel; when morale and strategic conditions shift, retreat can become the ethically responsible choice to prevent needless loss, even if it appears inglorious.

What is happening in the narrative?

After grasping the warriors’ disposition and receiving Śalya’s approval, Duryodhana orders the Kaurava forces to withdraw. Kṛtavarmā, accompanied by Kaurava chariot-fighters and the surviving Nārāyaṇī troops, rushes back toward the camp.