Shloka 13
धृष्टद्युम्नस्य द्रोणरथारोহণं सात्यकेः प्रतिरक्षणं च | Dhrishtadyumna Boards Droṇa’s Chariot; Sātyaki’s Counter-Protection
योधाश्चापि हि मां दृष्टवा निवर्तन्ते हधोमुखा:,“मेरे सैनिक मुझे देखकर नीचे मुख किये लौट जाते हैं। पहलेकी भाँति अभिवादन करके मुझसे युद्धका समाचार नहीं बता रहे हैं। माधव! क्या आज मेरे भाई सकुशल होंगे?”
sañjaya uvāca | yodhāś cāpi hi māṃ dṛṣṭvā nivartante adhomukhāḥ | “mere sainik mujhe dekhakar nīce mukha kiye lauṭ jāte haiṃ | pūrvakī bhānti abhivādana karke mujhse yuddha-kā samācāra nahīṃ batā rahe haiṃ | mādhava! kiā āja mere bhrātā sakuśala hoṅge?”
योद्धा भी मुझे देखकर अधोमुख होकर लौट जाते हैं। पहले की भाँति प्रणाम करके युद्ध का समाचार नहीं बताते। हे माधव! क्या आज मेरे भाई सकुशल होंगे?
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the moral-psychological weight of war: when outcomes turn grim, even seasoned warriors become silent and downcast, and truthful reporting gives way to fear and sorrow. It underscores how adharma-driven conflict breeds anxiety and erodes confidence and openness within one’s own camp.
Sañjaya observes a change in the battlefield atmosphere: soldiers who used to salute and deliver updates now avoid him, returning with lowered faces and no report. He interprets this as a bad sign and anxiously asks Mādhava (Kṛṣṇa) whether his brothers will remain safe that day.