Shloka 10
द्वैपायनह्रदे दुर्योधनान्वेषणम् / The Search for Duryodhana at Dvaipāyana Lake
राजन! आपके पुत्रकी आज्ञासे उसके उस वचनको शिरोधार्य करके वे रणदुर्मद योद्धा युद्धके लिये आगे बढ़े ।। तानभ्यापतत: शीघ्र॑ं हतशेषान् महारणे । शरैराशीविषाकारै: पाण्डवा: समवाकिरन्
rājan! tava putrasya ājñayā tasya tad vacanaṃ śirodhārya te raṇadurmadā yoddhā yuddhāya agrato jagmuḥ || tān abhyāpatataḥ śīghraṃ hataśeṣān mahāraṇe | śaraiḥ āśīviṣākāraiḥ pāṇḍavāḥ samavākiran ||
Sañjaya said: “O King, obeying your son’s command and taking his words upon their heads as binding, those warriors—maddened by the pride of battle—advanced to fight. As they rushed forward swiftly, the remnants of the already-smitten host in that great combat were showered by the Pāṇḍavas with arrows shaped like venomous serpents.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how unquestioning obedience to a leader’s command, when driven by battle-pride and anger, accelerates collective ruin; ethical discernment (dharma-buddhi) is eclipsed by loyalty and martial intoxication.
Sañjaya reports that, following Duryodhana’s order, the Kaurava fighters surge forward; the Pāṇḍavas respond by raining down dense volleys of deadly, serpent-like arrows upon the charging remnants in the great battle.