Shloka 11
धृतराष्ट्रस्य मूर्च्छा स्त्रीणां च आर्तनादः
Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Collapse and the Lament of the Palace Women
यस्य वै युधि संत्रासात् कुन्तीपुत्रो धनंजय: । निवर्तते सदा मन्द: सिंहात क्षुद्रमूगो यथा
yasya vai yudhi saṃtrāsāt kuntīputro dhanaṃjayaḥ | nivartate sadā mandaḥ siṃhāt kṣudramṛgo yathā ||
Sañjaya dijo: «Aterrorizado por él en el campo de batalla, Dhanañjaya (Arjuna), hijo de Kuntī, siempre se vuelve atrás—pusilánime—como un animalillo que huye ante un león». La frase lleva la retórica de la guerra: se ensalza el valor y se ridiculiza el miedo, presentando la fuerza del adversario como tan abrumadora que hasta Arjuna retrocedería.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse illustrates the Mahābhārata’s battlefield rhetoric: valor is upheld as a kṣatriya ideal, while fear and retreat are condemned through sharp comparison. Ethically, it shows how speech in war can be used to intimidate, shame, and magnify one’s side by portraying the opponent as cowardly.
Sañjaya reports a claim about a warrior whose mere presence causes Arjuna to recoil in fear, likening Arjuna to a small animal fleeing a lion. The statement functions as praise of the feared warrior’s might and as a taunt aimed at diminishing Arjuna’s reputation.