Shloka 18
द्वैपायनह्रदे दुर्योधनान्वेषणम् / The Search for Duryodhana at Dvaipāyana Lake
मुदितान् सर्वतः सिद्धान् नर्दमानान् समन्ततः । बाणशब्दरवांश्रैव श्रुत्वा तेषां महात्मनाम्
sañjaya uvāca | muditān sarvataḥ siddhān nardamānān samantataḥ | bāṇa-śabda-ravāṃś caiva śrutvā teṣāṃ mahātmanām |
Sañjaya said: Seeing the Pāṇḍava heroes everywhere exultant and accomplished in their aims, roaring on all sides like lions, and hearing the resounding whir of their arrows, Duryodhana—overwhelmed by grief—resolved to flee from that place. In that moment the directions and the whole earth seemed empty to him, for he had been deprived of his warriors; he had neither an army nor even a mount.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the moral-psychological collapse that follows adharma and overreliance on power: when support (army, allies, confidence) is lost, the mind perceives the world as empty and seeks escape. It contrasts the victorious energy of the righteous side with the despair of the defeated, showing how inner state shapes perception and action.
Sanjaya describes Duryodhana witnessing the Pandavas triumphant and roaring on all sides, while the battlefield rings with the sound of their arrows. Stricken with grief and seeing himself bereft of warriors and resources, Duryodhana considers fleeing from the battlefield.