Shloka 16
रथचिह्नवर्णनम् / Description of Chariot Standards and Allied Advances
एष भीमो महाक्रोधी हीन: पाण्डवसृञ्जयै: । मदीयैरावृतो योधै: कर्ण नन्दयतीव माम्,यह महाक्रोधी भीमसेन पाण्डव तथा सूंजयोंसे रहित हो मेरे योद्धाओंसे घिर गया है। कर्ण! इस अवस्थामें भीमसेन मुझे आनन्दित-सा कर रहा है
eṣa bhīmo mahākrodhī hīnaḥ pāṇḍavasṛñjayaiḥ | madīyair āvṛto yodhaiḥ karṇa nandayatīva mām ||
Duryodhana said: “Look—this Bhīma, fierce with great wrath, has been cut off from the Pāṇḍavas and the Sṛñjayas. Surrounded by my warriors, he seems, O Karṇa, to gladden my heart.” In the moral atmosphere of the war, Duryodhana’s satisfaction reveals a mindset that measures success by tactical advantage and the isolation of a formidable foe, rather than by righteousness or restraint.
दुर्योधन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how attachment to victory and ego can distort judgment: Duryodhana feels joy at an enemy’s isolation, reflecting a war-minded ethic that prioritizes advantage over dharmic reflection and compassion.
On the battlefield, Duryodhana points out that Bhima has become separated from his allies (the Pandavas and Srinjayas) and is now encircled by Kaurava troops; he tells Karna that this situation pleases him.