Mahabharata 7.17.48 — Drona Parva, Adhyaya 17, Shloka 48
Saṃśaptakas in Candrārdha-vyūha; Arjuna’s Devadatta and the Traigarta Rout
Chapter 17
ततो दौर्योधनं सैन्यं मुदा परमया युतम् | ऋतेडर्जुनं भृशं क्रुद्धं धर्मराजस्य निग्रहे
tato dauryodhanaṁ sainyaṁ mudā paramayā yutam | ṛte ’rjunaṁ bhṛśaṁ kruddhaṁ dharmarājasya nigrahe ||
Dijo Sañjaya: «Entonces el ejército de Duryodhana, colmado de suprema alegría, se dispuso—sin Arjuna presente—a apresar a Dharmarāja (Yudhiṣṭhira). Encendidos de feroz ira, se esforzaron por someter y capturar al rey.»
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how, in war, opponents often target the moral and strategic pivot of a side—here Dharmarāja—especially when the chief protector (Arjuna) is absent. Ethically, it underscores the vulnerability of dharma-centered leadership amid aggressive, opportunistic force, and the tension between righteous rule and battlefield pragmatism.
Sañjaya reports that Duryodhana’s troops, encouraged and delighted, intensify their effort to overpower and capture Yudhiṣṭhira. They do so specifically because Arjuna is not present, and they act with heightened anger and urgency to secure a decisive advantage.
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