Shloka 156
अध्याय ३: कृपस्य दुर्योधनं प्रति नीत्युपदेशः
Kṛpa’s Counsel to Duryodhana
दुर्योधनो5थ स्वं सूतं हा हा कृत्वैवमब्रवीत् । भीमसेनके भयसे पीड़ित हुए समस्त सैनिकोंको भागते देख दुर्योधनने “हाय-हाय!! करके अपने सारथिसे इस प्रकार कहा--
duryodhano 'tha svaṃ sūtaṃ hā hā kṛtvaivam abravīt | bhīmasenake bhayase pīḍitāḥ samastāḥ sainikāḥ palāyamānān dṛṣṭvā duryodhanena “hā-hā” iti kṛtvā sva-sārathim prati evam uktam |
Dijo Sañjaya: Entonces Duryodhana, clamando «¡Ay, ay!», se dirigió a su propio auriga. Al ver que todo el ejército, sacudido y atormentado por el miedo a Bhīmasena, huía del campo, habló con angustia: su lamento revelaba cómo el terror puede deshacer la firmeza de una hueste y la compostura de un caudillo bajo la presión moral de la guerra.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how fear can rapidly dissolve collective discipline in war, and how a leader’s reaction—lamenting rather than steadying the ranks—signals moral and psychological strain. It implicitly contrasts steadfastness (dhairya) with panic, a key ethical pressure-point in kṣatriya conduct.
Sañjaya reports that Duryodhana sees his soldiers fleeing, overwhelmed by fear of Bhīma. In distress he cries “hā hā” and turns to his charioteer, beginning a speech prompted by the army’s collapse in morale.