Shloka 29
Uttarā-Pratigrahaṇa and Abhimanyu–Uttarā Vivāha
Virāṭa-parva, Adhyāya 67
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
kṣutpipāsāpariśrāntā videśasthā vicetasaḥ | yadā kaurava-dalake lokāś calitā vā diśo diśaḥ pradrutāḥ, tadā bahavaḥ kaurava-sainikā gahana-vane nigūḍhāḥ tato niṣkramya bhītā bhītā arjunam upāgaman | teṣāṃ hṛdaye bhayaṃ samāviśat | te kṣudhārtāḥ pipāsitāś ca pariśrāntāś ca āsan | videśavāsāt teṣāṃ hṛdayavyākulatā bhūyo 'vardhata | te tadā muktakeśā añjalibaddhahastāḥ sthitā dṛśyante sma ||
Vaiśaṃpāyana said: When the Kaurava host had withdrawn or scattered in flight in every direction, many Kaurava soldiers who had been hiding in the dense forest emerged and, trembling with fear, approached Arjuna. Terror had seized their hearts. They were hungry, thirsty, and exhausted; and being in a foreign land only deepened their inner distress. At that moment they were seen standing with loosened hair and folded hands—an unmistakable posture of surrender and supplication before the very warrior they had opposed.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even amid war, human vulnerability remains: fear, hunger, and exhaustion can bring enemies to seek refuge. The scene implicitly tests the victor’s dharma—how one treats the defeated and the helpless—highlighting restraint and compassion as ethical ideals alongside martial prowess.
After the Kaurava forces disperse in panic, some soldiers who had hidden in a dense forest come out and approach Arjuna. Overcome by fear and hardship in an unfamiliar land, they stand before him with loosened hair and folded hands, signaling surrender and pleading for safety.