Shloka 31
अतो विनिहता: सर्वे येडस्मज्जयचिकीर्षव: । कर्णमेव तु पश्यामि सम्प्रत्यस्मज्जयैषिणम्,इसलिये हमारी विजय चाहनेवाले सभी योद्धा मारे गये। इस समय तो मैं केवल कर्णको ही ऐसा देखता हूँ, जो सच्चे हृदयसे मेरी विजय चाहता है
ato vinihatāḥ sarve ye ’smad-jaya-cikīrṣavaḥ | karṇam eva tu paśyāmi sampraty asmad-jayaiṣiṇam ||
Therefore, all those warriors who were intent on securing victory for us have been slain. At this moment, I see only Karṇa as one who truly seeks our victory with unwavering resolve—revealing Duryodhana’s growing isolation and his dependence on a single ally amid the moral and strategic collapse of his cause.
दुर्योधन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how, in war and crisis, a leader’s world can narrow to dependence on a single loyal supporter; it also implicitly critiques a cause sustained more by personal allegiance than by dharma, as Duryodhana measures hope not by righteousness but by who still strives for his victory.
Duryodhana laments that the fighters who wished to secure victory for his side have been killed, and he identifies Karṇa as the only remaining warrior he perceives as wholeheartedly committed to winning for him at that moment.