Shloka 81
Arjuna’s Advance toward Bhīṣma; The Gāṇḍīva’s Signal and the Armies’ Convergence (भीष्माभिमुखगमनम् — गाण्डीवनिर्घोष-ध्वजवर्णनम्)
कौरवास्तु ततो राजन् प्रययु: शिबिरं स्वकम् । ब्रीडमाना निशाकाले पाण्डवेयै: पराजिता:
kauravās tu tato rājan prayayuḥ śibiraṃ svakam | brīḍamānā niśākāle pāṇḍaveyaiḥ parājitāḥ ||
Sañjaya said: “Then, O King, the Kauravas withdrew to their own camp. Defeated by the sons of Pāṇḍu, they went by night, ashamed—an image of how pride in power collapses when one’s cause and conduct cannot sustain the test of battle.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the moral-psychological consequence of defeat: when a side is overcome, especially after pursuing a questionable course, it often retreats not only physically but also in spirit—marked by shame. In the epic’s ethical frame, such shame signals the erosion of confidence that comes when power is not aligned with dharma.
Sañjaya reports to King Dhṛtarāṣṭra that the Kauravas, having been defeated by the Pāṇḍavas, withdraw to their own camp at night, doing so in a state of embarrassment.