Shloka 12
Uttarā-Pratigrahaṇa and Abhimanyu–Uttarā Vivāha
Virāṭa-parva, Adhyāya 67
वैशम्पायन उवाच स शत्रुसेनामवजित्य जिष्णु- राच्छिद्य सर्व च धनं कुरुभ्य: । श्मशानमागत्य पुन: शर्मीं ता- मभ्येत्य तस्थौ शरविक्षताड्:,क्षुत्पिपासापरिश्रान्ता विदेशस्था विचेतस: । जब कौरव-दलके लोग चले गये या इधर-उधर सब दिशाओंमें भाग गये, उस समय बहुत-से कौरवसैनिक जो घने जंगलमें छिपे हुए थे, वहाँसे निकलकर डरते-डरते अर्जुनके पास आये। उनके मनमें भय समा गया था। वे भूखे-प्यासे और थके-माँदे थे। परदेशमें होनेके कारण उनके हृदयकी व्याकुलता और बढ़ गयी थी। वे उस समय केश खोले और हाथ जोड़े हुए खड़े दिखायी दिये
vaiśampāyana uvāca | sa śatrusenām avajitya jiṣṇur ācchidya sarvaṃ ca dhanaṃ kurubhyaḥ | śmaśānam āgatya punaḥ śarmīṃ tām abhyetya tasthau śaravikṣatāṅgaḥ | kṣutpipāsāpariśrāntā videśasthā viceṭasaḥ |
Vaiśampāyana said: Having defeated the enemy host, Jiṣṇu (Arjuna) cut off and recovered all the wealth from the Kurus. Then, coming to the cremation-ground, he approached that Śarmī (the woman there) again and stood—his body wounded by arrows. Meanwhile, when the Kaurava troops had departed or scattered in flight in all directions, many Kaurava soldiers who had been hiding in the dense forest emerged and, trembling with fear, came to Arjuna. Hungry, thirsty, and exhausted, and further distressed by being in a foreign land, they stood before him with loosened hair and folded hands—subdued and seeking protection.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage highlights the ethical pivot after combat: once defeat is clear, fear-driven hostility gives way to surrender and a plea for protection. It implicitly contrasts battlefield prowess with the responsibility to respond appropriately to the defeated—recognizing human vulnerability (hunger, thirst, exhaustion, disorientation) even in former enemies.
Arjuna (called Jiṣṇu) has routed the opposing force and recovered the seized wealth from the Kurus. He then goes to the cremation-ground and stands there again, wounded by arrows. After the Kaurava ranks disperse, some soldiers who had hidden in the forest come out, frightened and depleted, and stand before Arjuna with folded hands, indicating submission and seeking safety.