Shloka 13

अर्जुनस्य रथाश्वमोचनं कृष्णस्याश्वसेवा च

Arjuna’s Horses Freed; Krishna’s Equine Service

Devanagari script

एवं विलपमानं तं भयाद्‌ व्याकुलचेतसम्‌ । आत्मकार्यगरीयस्त्वाद्‌ राजा दुर्योधनो5ब्रवीत्‌,भयसे व्याकुलचित्त होकर विलाप करते हुए जयद्रथसे राजा दुर्योधनने अपने कार्यकी गुरुताका विचार करके इस प्रकार कहा--

Transliteration

evaṁ vilapamānaṁ taṁ bhayād vyākulacetasam | ātmakāryagarīyastvād rājā duryodhano 'bravīt |

Translation

Sañjaya dit : «Le voyant se lamenter ainsi, l’esprit bouleversé par la peur, le roi Duryodhana —jugeant que son propre dessein était plus pressant— lui parla en conséquence.»

Word by Word

एवम्thus

विलपमानम्lamenting

तम्him

भयात्from fear / out of fear

व्याकुलचेतसम्with agitated mind

आत्मकार्यगरीयस्त्वात्because of the greater importance of his own task

राजाthe king

दुर्योधनःDuryodhana

अब्रवीत्said / spoke

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Duryodhana

Jayadratha

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores a wartime ethical tension: a leader may respond to another’s fear not with solace but by prioritizing the perceived urgency of his own mission. It illustrates how strategic necessity can eclipse empathy, revealing the moral cost of self-driven leadership in conflict.

What is happening in the narrative?

Jayadratha is depicted as fearful and lamenting. Sañjaya reports that Duryodhana, considering his own objective more pressing, addresses him—setting up Duryodhana’s attempt to redirect Jayadratha from panic toward the Kaurava plan in the ongoing battle.