Shloka 63
ततः प्रयाता: कुरवो जवेन श्रुत्वैव शड्खस्वनमीर्यमाणम् । विहाय मद्राधिपतिं पतिं च दुर्योधनं भारत भारतानाम्
tataḥ prayātāḥ kuravo javena śrutvaiva śaṅkhasvanam īryamāṇam | vihāya madrādhipatiṁ patiṁ ca duryodhanaṁ bhārata bhāratānām ||
Wahai Bhārata! Begitu mendengar deru sangkakala itu, para pejuang Kuru pun lari tergesa-gesa; bahkan raja Madra, Śalya, dan Duryodhana—penguasa kaum Bhārata—mereka tinggalkan di tempat itu.
शल्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical collapse that fear can cause in war: when morale breaks, even proclaimed loyalty to king and commander fails. It implicitly contrasts true kṣatriya-dharma—steadfastness and protection of one’s leader—with panic-driven abandonment.
A conch is sounded on the battlefield; at that signal the Kuru troops lose heart and flee rapidly, leaving behind both Śalya (the Madra king allied with them) and their own ruler Duryodhana.