Shloka 5
अध्याय १ — न्यग्रोधवनोपवेशनम् तथा द्रौणिनिश्चयः
Night at the Banyan and Drauṇi’s Resolve
ते मुहूर्तात् ततो गत्वा श्रान्तवाहा: पिपासिता:
te muhūrtāt tato gatvā śrāntavāhāḥ pipāsitāḥ
Sañjaya said: After moving a short distance from that place, those great bowmen—overpowered by anger and wounded pride—became tormented by thirst, and their mounts were exhausted. The condition became unbearable for them. Stricken with grief at King Duryodhana’s death, they stood there in silence for a muhurta, overwhelmed by sorrow and resentment.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how unchecked anger and wounded pride, when combined with grief, can overwhelm even mighty warriors—reducing them to physical and mental exhaustion. It foreshadows ethically fraught choices that arise when sorrow turns into resentment.
After leaving the battlefield area briefly, the surviving warriors (in this context, the principal Kaurava remnants) become thirsty and their horses tire. They are devastated by Duryodhana’s death and stand silently for a muhūrta, simmering with anger and humiliation.