Shloka 4
दुःशासनस्तु राजेन्द्र पाउ्चाल्यस्य महात्मन: । नाशकत् प्रमुखे स्थातुं शरजालप्रपीडित:,राजेन्द्र! महामना धृष्टद्युम्नके बाणसमूहोंसे अत्यन्त पीड़ित हो दुःशासन उनके सामने ठहर न सका
sañjaya uvāca |
duḥśāsanas tu rājendra pāñcālyasya mahātmanaḥ |
nāśakat pramukhe sthātuṃ śarajālaprapīḍitaḥ ||
Sanjaya said: O king, Duhshasana, sorely oppressed by the dense net of arrows shot by the great-souled Panchala prince, could not hold his ground before him. The scene underscores how arrogance and wrongdoing, when met by disciplined valor and righteous resolve, lose the power to stand firm in the face of just resistance.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a moral pattern often emphasized in the Mahabharata: power rooted in wrongdoing and pride becomes unstable when confronted by steadfast, disciplined valor aligned with a just cause. Ethical failure weakens inner resolve, so one cannot 'stand firm' when true resistance arrives.
During the fighting in the Drona Parva, Duhshasana faces the Panchala prince Dhrishtadyumna. Overwhelmed by a concentrated barrage—described as a 'net of arrows'—Duhshasana cannot remain in the front line before him and is forced to give way.