Shloka 11
शल्यपर्वणि प्रथमाध्यायः — Karṇa-vadha-anantaraṃ Śalya-niyogaḥ, Saṃjayasya Dhṛtarāṣṭra-nivedanam
ततो दुर्योधनो राजा हतबन्धू रणाजिरात् । अपसृत्य हृदं घोरं विवेश रिपुजाद भयात्,तदनन्तर राजा दुर्योधन अपने भाइयोंके मारे जानेपर समरांगणसे दूर जाकर शत्रुके भयसे भयंकर तालाबमें घुस गया
tato duryodhano rājā hatabandhū raṇājirāt | apasṛtya hṛdaṃ ghoraṃ viveśa ripujād bhayāt ||
Then King Duryodhana, his kinsmen and brothers slain upon the field, withdrew from the battle. Overcome by fear of the enemy, he entered a dreadful lake—no deed of valor, but a desperate retreat as his cause collapsed in both dharma and war.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how fear and the loss of one’s supporting kin can drive a ruler into ignoble flight. In the Mahābhārata’s ethical frame, such retreat signals the unraveling of adharma-based power: when inner steadiness and righteous grounding are absent, kingship collapses into panic and concealment.
After many of his brothers/kinsmen have been killed, Duryodhana leaves the battlefield and, fearing the enemy, hides by entering a terrifying lake. This sets the stage for subsequent events in which he is sought out and confronted.