Shloka 37
Duryodhana Seeks Droṇa’s Counsel; Imperative to Protect Jayadratha; Pāñcāla Assault on Duryodhana
ते हता हन्यमानाश्र न्यगृह्लंस्तं रथोत्तमम् । स रथस्तम्भितस्तस्थौ क्रोशमात्रे समन््तत:,उन हताहत होनेवाले कौरव-सैनिकोंने उत्तम रथी अर्जुनको आगे बढ़नेसे रोक दिया। वे जयद्रथसे एक कोसकी दूरीपर चारों ओरसे रथसेनाद्वारा घिरे हुए खड़े थे
te hatā hanyamānāś ca nyagṛhṇan taṁ rathottamam | sa rathaḥ stambhitas tasthau krośamātre samantataḥ ||
Sañjaya said: Though many of them were being slain and others were still being struck down, the Kaurava soldiers nevertheless checked that foremost of chariot-warriors. Thus Arjuna’s chariot was brought to a standstill, surrounded on every side at about a krośa’s distance. The scene underscores the grim resolve of the Kaurava host: even under heavy loss, they form a living barrier to obstruct Arjuna’s advance, turning the battlefield into a moral crucible where duty, persistence, and the cost of vengeance collide.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even amid catastrophic losses, collective resolve and strategic cohesion can momentarily halt a superior warrior; ethically, the verse highlights the battlefield tension between steadfast duty to one’s side and the escalating human cost of pursuing a single objective.
Kaurava troops, though being cut down, form a surrounding barrier and restrain Arjuna’s advance; his chariot is effectively stopped, with the enemy positioned around him at roughly a krośa’s distance.