Shloka 2536
निवर्तयति युद्धार्थ मृथे देवेश्वरो यथा । देवराज इन्द्रके समान यह कौन महारथी भागे हुए कौरवोंको खड़ा करके उन्हें पुनः युद्धके लिये रणभूमिमें लौटा रहा है?
nivartayati yuddhārthaṃ mṛdhe deveśvaro yathā | devarāja indrake samānaḥ kaḥ sa mahārathī bhāge huye kauravān khāḍā karke tān punaḥ yuddhāya raṇabhūmau laṭā rahā hai?
Yudhiṣṭhira said: “Just as the Lord of the gods turns back the tide of battle, who is that great chariot-warrior—equal to Indra, king of the gods—who is rallying the fleeing Kauravas, making them stand firm, and driving them back onto the battlefield to fight again?”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical weight of leadership in war: a true leader can restore courage and order even amid rout, and such power is likened to Indra’s divine command—implying that martial authority must be exercised with steadiness and purpose, not panic.
Yudhiṣṭhira observes that the Kaurava forces, previously fleeing, are being reorganized and pushed back into combat by a single outstanding commander. He asks who this mahārathī is, praising his capacity to reverse a retreat like Indra himself.