Shloka 24
Śiva’s Battlefield Manifestation and Vyāsa’s Śatarudrīya Exposition (शिवप्रादुर्भावः शतरुद्रीयव्याख्यानम्)
दुर्योधने परावृत्ते शैनेयस्तव वाहिनीम् | द्रावयामास विशिखैर्निशामध्ये विशाम्पते,प्रजानाथ! उस आधीरातके समय दुर्योधनके पराड्मुख हो जानेपर सात्यकिने आपकी सेनाको अपने बाणोंद्वारा खदेड़ना आरम्भ किया
sañjaya uvāca |
duryodhane parāvṛtte śaineyas tava vāhinīm |
drāvayāmāsa viśikhair niśāmadhye viśāmpate prajānātha ||
Sañjaya dit : Ô seigneur des hommes ! Au cœur de la nuit, lorsque Duryodhana se fut retourné en retraite, Śaineya (Sātyaki) se mit à refouler ton armée sous une grêle de flèches.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical and strategic weight of leadership in war: when a leader falters or turns back, the opposing side can seize moral and tactical momentum. It also reflects the heightened peril of night combat, where resolve and discipline become decisive.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Duryodhana has turned back (in retreat), and at that moment Sātyaki (Śaineya) begins driving the Kaurava forces away with volleys of arrows during the middle of the night.