Shloka 17
Uttarā-Pratigrahaṇa and Abhimanyu–Uttarā Vivāha
Virāṭa-parva, Adhyāya 67
पन्थानमुपसड्म्य फाल्गुनो वाक्यमब्रवीत्,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 वैशम्पायनजी कहते हैं--राजन्! तदनन्तर कौरव युद्धसे भागकर विवशतापूर्वक लौट गये। उन सबने दीनभावसे उस समय हस्तिनापुरकी ओर प्रस्थान किया। इधर अर्जुनने नगरके रास्तेमें आकर उत्तरसे कहा--
panthānam upasaṅgamya phālguno vākyam abravīt | kṣutpipāsāpariśrāntā videśasthā viceṭasaḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana said: Having come onto the road, Phālguna (Arjuna) spoke. The Kaurava soldiers—frightened in their hearts, confused as men in a foreign land, and worn down by hunger, thirst, and exhaustion—emerged timidly from their hiding places in the dense forest and approached Arjuna with loosened hair and folded hands. After the Kaurava host had scattered and fled in all directions, those who remained returned helplessly and, in a pitiable state, set out toward Hastināpura. Meanwhile, Arjuna, reaching the route to the city, addressed Uttarā.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the moral psychology of defeat: arrogance collapses into fear and supplication, while the victorious are called to restraint and responsible speech. It underscores how dislocation (being 'in a foreign land') intensifies mental confusion, and how leadership is shown not only in combat but in how one addresses the vulnerable aftermath.
After the Kaurava force has scattered and fled, some soldiers who had hidden in the forest come out, terrified and exhausted, and approach Arjuna in a pleading posture. The narration then turns to Arjuna reaching the road toward the city and speaking to Uttarā, moving the story from battlefield chaos to the next ethical and narrative decision.