Shloka 523
पुत्रस्तव महाराज राजा दुर्योधनो द्रुतम् । अमर्षशील शत्रुके द्वारा युद्धस्थलमें अपने-आपको दाहिने किया हुआ देख दुर्योधन इसे सहन न कर सका। महाराज! फिर आपके पुत्र राजा दुर्योधनने भी तुरंत ही रणभूमिमें नकुलको भी अपने दाहिने ला देनेका प्रयत्न किया
sañjaya uvāca | putras tava mahārāja rājā duryodhano drutam | amarṣaśīlaḥ śatrukerā yuddhasthale svayam ātmānaṃ dāhiṇe kṛtaṃ dṛṣṭvā duryodhano idaṃ soḍhuṃ na śaśāka | mahārāja! punaḥ tava putro rājā duryodhano 'pi tvaritaṃ raṇabhūmau nakulaṃ api sva-dāhiṇe ānetuṃ prayatnam akarot ||
Sañjaya said: O great king, your son—King Duryodhana—quickly reacted. Seeing on the battlefield that Śatrukera had placed himself on the right flank by his own maneuver, the hot‑tempered Duryodhana could not endure it. Then, O king, your son Duryodhana at once strove on the field of battle to bring Nakula too onto his own right side—seeking to control the alignment and the advantage of position.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage highlights how pride and intolerance (amarṣa) can drive decisions in conflict: Duryodhana cannot bear a rival’s advantageous positioning and immediately tries to counter it. Ethically, it illustrates how ego and competitiveness can override calm judgment, even in high-stakes leadership.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Duryodhana, seeing an opponent (Śatrukera) positioned on the right flank by his own move, becomes unable to tolerate it and quickly attempts to reposition the battle alignment by drawing Nakula to his own right side.