Shloka 20
आपतत्सु च वेगेन वध्यमाने बले5पि च । विगाढायां रजन्यां च राजा दैन्यं परं गत:,संजयने कहा--राजन्! जब रातमें कर्णके द्वारा राक्षस घटोत्कच मारा गया, आपके सैनिक हर्षमें भरकर युद्धकी इच्छासे गर्जना करते हुए वेगपूर्वक आक्रमण करने लगे तथा पाण्डव-सेना मारी जाने लगी, उस समय प्रगाढ़ रजनीमें राजा युधिष्ठिर अत्यन्त दीन एवं दुःखी हो गये
āpatatsu ca vegena vadhyamāne bale 'pi ca | vigāḍhāyāṃ rajanyāṃ ca rājā dainyaṃ paraṃ gataḥ ||
Sañjaya berkata: “Wahai Raja, ketika para kesatria menerjang dengan kecepatan besar dan pasukan pun sedang ditebas habis, pada malam yang pekat itu Raja Yudhiṣṭhira jatuh ke dalam keputusasaan yang amat dalam.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical and psychological cost of war: even a righteous leader can be overwhelmed by despair when witnessing slaughter, especially amid confusion and darkness. It underscores that dharmic resolve is tested not only by moral choices but also by the emotional shock of violence.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that during a fierce night engagement, as combatants charged rapidly and the army was being killed, King Yudhiṣṭhira became deeply distressed. The line sets the scene for the Pandava side’s shaken morale in the darkness of battle.