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

ત્યારે રથ નષ્ટ થઈ જતાં શત્રુદમન રાજા દુર્યોધન ઘોડાની પીઠ પર ચઢી તે સ્થાનથી પાછો ખસ્યો; પરંતુ બહુ દૂર ગયો નહીં.

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.