Shloka 2
Uttarā-Pratigrahaṇa and Abhimanyu–Uttarā Vivāha
Virāṭa-parva, Adhyāya 67
वैशम्पायनजी कहते हैं-जनमेजय! इस प्रकार बैल-सी विशाल आँखोंवाले अर्जुन उस समय युद्धमें कौरवोंको जीतकर विराटका वह महान् गोधन लौटा लाये ।। गतेषु च प्रभग्नेषु धार्तराष्ट्रेषु सर्वत: । वनान्निष्क्रम्य गहनाद् बहवः कुरुसैनिका:,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 | gateṣu ca prabhagneṣu dhārtarāṣṭreṣu sarvataḥ | vanān niṣkramya gahanād bahavaḥ kurusainikāḥ | kṣutpipāsāpariśrāntā videśasthā viceṭasaḥ |
Vaiśampāyana said: “O Janamejaya, in this manner Arjuna, bull-eyed, having defeated the sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra in battle, brought back Virāṭa’s great herd of cattle.” When the Dhārtarāṣṭras had departed or fled scattered in every direction, many Kuru soldiers who had been hiding in the dense forest came out and, in fear, approached Arjuna—worn out by hunger and thirst, and, being in a foreign land, unsettled and confused in mind.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the human cost of war beyond victory and defeat: routed soldiers become fearful, hungry, and disoriented—especially in unfamiliar territory. It implicitly invites restraint and compassion from the victor, reminding that dharma in warfare includes how one treats the defeated and helpless.
After the Kaurava forces have been defeated and scattered, soldiers who had hidden in the dense forest emerge. Weak from hunger and thirst and unsettled because they are in a foreign land, they approach the victorious side (contextually Arjuna) in fear.