Shloka 30
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 viceṭasaḥ | yadā kaurava-dalake lokāś calitā vā diśo diśaṃ palāyitāḥ, tadā bahavaḥ kaurava-sainikā gahana-vane nigūḍhāḥ tataḥ nirgatyārjunaṃ prati bhītā bhītā upāyayuḥ | teṣāṃ manasi bhayaṃ samāviśat | te kṣudhārtāḥ pipāsitāś ca pariśrāntāś ca āsan | videśavāsāt teṣāṃ hṛdayavyākulatā cādhikā babhūva | te tadā muktakeśā añjalibaddhahastāḥ sthitā iva dṛśyante sma ||
Vaiśampāyana said: When the Kaurava host had dispersed—some departing, others fleeing 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. With loosened hair and hands joined in supplication, they stood before him—an image of defeat and helplessness that implicitly appeals to the victor’s restraint and compassion.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical moment after victory: the defeated, stripped of pride and power, seek refuge with folded hands. It implicitly calls for the victor’s self-restraint and humane conduct—recognizing fear, hunger, and vulnerability even in enemies.
After the Kaurava forces scatter, some soldiers who had been hiding in a dense forest come out and approach Arjuna in fear. They are hungry, thirsty, exhausted, and more distressed because they are in a foreign land; they stand before him with loosened hair and joined hands, signaling surrender and pleading.