Shloka 11
मृगस्वप्नदर्शनम्
The Deer’s Dream-Appeal and the Move to Kāmyaka
नरसिंहो! कौरवोंके ये सुनहरी ध्वजावाले निर्मल रथ सामने खड़े हैं। इनमें सब प्रकारके अस्त्र-शस्त्र मौजूद हैं। इनके चलनेपर भारी आवाज होती है। ये रथ सदा सुसज्जित रहते हैं। शस्त्रविद्यामें निपुण इन्द्रसेन आदि सारथि इनपर बैठे हुए हैं। तुमलोग इन रथोंपर आरूढ़ हो गन्धर्वोंसे युद्ध करनेके लिये तैयार हो जाओ और सावधान होकर दुर्योधनको छुड़ानेका प्रयत्न करो ।। य एव ककश्रिद् राजन्य: शरणार्थमिहागतम् । परं शक््त्याभिरक्षेत कि पुनस्त्वं वृकोदर,भीमसेन! जो कोई साधारण क्षत्रिय भी क्यों न हो, शरण लेनेके लिये आये हुए मनुष्यकी यथाशक्ति रक्षा करता है। फिर तुम-जैसे वीर पुरुष शरणागतकी रक्षा करें, इसके लिये तो कहना ही क्या है?
nara-siṃha! kauravāṇāṃ ye suvarṇa-dhvajāḥ śuci-rathāḥ purataḥ sthitāḥ | eteṣu sarva-prakārāṇy astrāṇi śastrāṇi ca vidyante | eṣāṃ gatau mahān śabdo bhavati | ete rathāḥ sadā susajjitāḥ | śastra-vidyā-nipuṇā indrāsena-prabhṛtayaḥ sārathaya eteṣv āsīnāḥ | yūyaṃ rathān āruhya gandharvaiḥ saha yuddhāya sajjā bhavata, apramattāś ca duryodhana-mokṣaṇe yatadhvam || ya eva kaścid rājanyaḥ śaraṇārtham ihāgataḥ, paraṃ śaktyābhirakṣet; kiṃ punas tvaṃ vṛkodara bhīmasena ||
Yudhiṣṭhira said: “O lion among men! Before us stand the Kauravas’ spotless chariots with golden banners. They are stocked with every kind of weapon; when they move, they thunder with a heavy roar. Always kept ready, they are driven by skilled charioteers such as Indrasena, masters of the science of arms. Mount these chariots, prepare for battle against the Gandharvas, and, staying vigilant, strive to free Duryodhana. For even an ordinary kṣatriya, if someone comes seeking refuge, protects him to the best of his ability. How much more, then, should you—Vṛkodara Bhīmasena—protect one who has sought shelter?”
युधिषछ्िर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds kṣatriya-dharma as the obligation to protect a person who seeks refuge (śaraṇāgata), to the fullest extent of one’s ability. Yudhiṣṭhira frames the rescue of Duryodhana not as partisan preference but as an ethical duty of protection and honor.
Yudhiṣṭhira urges the warriors—especially Bhīma—to mount the Kauravas’ ready chariots and fight the Gandharvas in order to free Duryodhana, emphasizing vigilance and the moral imperative to protect someone who has come seeking help.