Shloka 23

भीमसेनस्य कौरवसुतवधः तथा श्रुतर्वावधः

Slaying of Kaurava princes and the fall of Śrutarvā

Devanagari script

ततो दुर्योधनो राजा पृष्ठमारुह्म वाजिन: । अपाक्रामद्धतरथो नातिदूरमरिंदम:,इस प्रकार रथके नष्ट हो जानेपर शत्रुदमन राजा दुर्योधन एक घोड़ेकी पीठपर सवार हो वहाँसे कुछ दूर हट गया

Transliteration

tato duryodhano rājā pṛṣṭham āruhya vājinaḥ | apākrāmad dhataratho nātidūram arindamaḥ ||

Translation

Sañjaya dit : Alors le roi Duryodhana — son char ayant été détruit — monta sur le dos d’un cheval et se retira de cet endroit, sans aller bien loin. Ce moment marque une retraite tactique au cœur du tumulte du combat, montrant que même un souverain orgueilleux doit plier devant les circonstances lorsque ses moyens de lutte sont perdus.

Word by Word

ततःthen, thereafter

दुर्योधनःDuryodhana

राजाking

पृष्ठम्back (surface)

आरुह्यhaving mounted

वाजिनःof the horse

अपाक्रामत्withdrew, retreated

हतरथःwhose chariot was destroyed / chariotless

नnot

अतिदूरम्too far, very far

अरिंदमःfoe-subduing (enemy-tamer)

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Duryodhana

horse (vājin)

chariot (ratha)

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 the realism of dharma in war: valor is praised, yet prudence is necessary. When the chariot—symbol of martial capacity and royal display—is lost, the king adapts and withdraws, illustrating that survival and regrouping can be a legitimate tactical choice even for one styled 'enemy-tamer.'

What is happening in the narrative?

After Duryodhana’s chariot has been destroyed, he mounts a horse and retreats a short distance from the immediate danger, indicating a brief withdrawal rather than a complete flight from the battlefield.