Shloka 3
अध्याय ४ — दुर्योधनस्य असंधि-निश्चयः
Duryodhana’s Refusal of Reconciliation
इस प्रकार श्रीमह्याभारत शल्यपर्वमें कौरवसेनाका पलायनविषयक तीसरा अध्याय पूरा हुआ
vimukhe tava putre tu śokopahatacetasi | bhṛśodvigneṣu sainyeṣu dṛṣṭvā pārthasya vikramam ||
Sañjaya said: When your son turned away from the battle, his mind overwhelmed by grief, and when the armies, seeing the prowess of Pārtha (Arjuna), became intensely agitated with fear, the situation on the field shifted toward despair and disarray—setting the stage for counsel to the shaken king and a renewed reflection on duty amid catastrophe.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how grief and fear can overturn resolve in moments of duty. Ethically, it frames a leadership crisis: when a ruler’s mind is overwhelmed, the collective morale collapses, implying the need for steadiness (dhairya) and discernment (viveka) amid calamity.
Sanjaya reports to Dhritarashtra that Duryodhana, shaken by sorrow, turns away from the fight. The Kaurava forces, witnessing Arjuna’s prowess, become severely alarmed and unsettled—an immediate prelude to elders or commanders approaching Duryodhana with counsel.