Shloka 65
Chapter 23: Śakuni Reports, Kaurava Advance, and Arjuna’s Penetration of the Host
एकाकी प्रययौ तत्र यत्र राजा युधिष्ठिर: । कुरुनन्दन! वहाँ धूलका बादल-सा घिर आया था। उस समय सहदेव भी अकेले ही, जहाँ राजा युधिष्ठिर थे, वहीं चले गये || ६४ $ ।। ततस्तेषु प्रयातेषु शकुनि: सौबल: पुन:
ekākī prayayau tatra yatra rājā yudhiṣṭhiraḥ | tataḥ teṣu prayāteṣu śakuniḥ saubalaḥ punaḥ |
Sañjaya said: “Alone he went to the place where King Yudhiṣṭhira was. And when they had thus departed, Śakuni, the son of Subala, again (set his course in motion).” The scene underscores the isolation and urgency that follow calamity in war: individuals move without escort, seeking rightful leadership and counsel, while adversarial strategists remain poised to exploit disorder.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
In the aftermath of battlefield upheaval, dharmic leadership becomes a refuge: the solitary approach to Yudhiṣṭhira highlights the need to seek rightful counsel and steadiness, while the mention of Śakuni signals how adharma often reasserts itself through opportunism when order is shaken.
Sañjaya reports that a figure goes alone to where King Yudhiṣṭhira is; immediately after, the narrative turns to Śakuni, indicating a shift from the Pāṇḍavas’ regrouping toward the Kaurava side’s renewed plotting or maneuvering.