Shloka 21
Dhṛtarāṣṭra–Duryodhana Dialogue on Peace and the Refusal of Compromise
प्रतीपमिव मे भाति युयुधानेन भारती । व्यस्ता सीमन्तिनी ग्रस्ता प्रमृष्टा दीर्घबाहुना
pratīpam iva me bhāti yuyudhānena bhāratī | vyastā sīmanta-nī grastā pramṛṣṭā dīrgha-bāhunā ||
Duryodhana said: “To me it appears as though the Bharata host has been turned the wrong way by Yuyudhāna (Sātyaki)—like a woman scorned by her man: her hair-parting dishevelled, seized and roughly handled by a long-armed warrior. So too this army, thrown into confusion, seems to be fleeing in a contrary direction.”
दुर्योधन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how quickly an army’s morale and order can collapse under a decisive warrior’s pressure, and how leaders may frame defeat through charged imagery of dishonor—revealing the ethical weight placed on reputation and composure in kṣatriya warfare.
Duryodhana observes the Kuru/Bharata forces being thrown into confusion by Yuyudhāna (Sātyaki). He describes their disarray and retreat with a harsh simile of a woman humiliated and dishevelled, emphasizing the perceived indignity of being routed.