Shloka 55
Adhyāya 86: Irāvān’s Lineage, Cavalry Clash, and the Māyā-Duel Ending in Irāvān’s Fall
दृष्टवा मद्रेश्वररथं धार्तराष्ट्रा: पराड्मुखम् । सर्वे विमनसो भूत्वा नेदमस्तीत्यचिन्तयन्,मद्रराजके रथको युद्धसे विमुख हुआ देख आपके सभी पुत्र मन-ही-मन दुःखी हो सोचने लगे--शायद अब मद्रराजका जीवन शेष नहीं है
dṛṣṭvā madreśvara-rathaṃ dhārtarāṣṭrāḥ parāṅmukham | sarve vimanaso bhūtvā nedam astīty acintayan ||
Sañjaya said: Seeing the chariot of the lord of Madra turned away from the fight, the sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra all became downcast. In their hearts they thought, “This cannot be”—as if the king of Madra’s life were no longer secure. The sight of a great ally withdrawing shakes morale and exposes how quickly confidence in power gives way to fear when dharma and fortune seem to turn.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how external signs in war—especially the apparent withdrawal of a powerful ally—can collapse confidence and reveal the fragility of pride. It implicitly warns that reliance on force alone is unstable when fortune and dharma appear to shift.
Sañjaya reports that the Kauravas, seeing the Madra king’s chariot turned away (as if retreating or disabled), become disheartened and think something has gone terribly wrong—fearing that the Madra ruler may be lost or near death.