Shloka 13
धृष्टद्युम्नस्य द्रोणरथारोহণं सात्यकेः प्रतिरक्षणं च | Dhrishtadyumna Boards Droṇa’s Chariot; Sātyaki’s Counter-Protection
योधाश्चापि हि मां दृष्टवा निवर्तन्ते हधोमुखा:,“मेरे सैनिक मुझे देखकर नीचे मुख किये लौट जाते हैं। पहलेकी भाँति अभिवादन करके मुझसे युद्धका समाचार नहीं बता रहे हैं। माधव! क्या आज मेरे भाई सकुशल होंगे?”
sañjaya uvāca | yodhāś cāpi hi māṃ dṛṣṭvā nivartante adhomukhāḥ | “mere sainik mujhe dekhakar nīce mukha kiye lauṭ jāte haiṃ | pūrvakī bhānti abhivādana karke mujhse yuddha-kā samācāra nahīṃ batā rahe haiṃ | mādhava! kiā āja mere bhrātā sakuśala hoṅge?”
Sañjaya said: “Even the warriors, on seeing me, turn back with faces cast down. Unlike before, they do not salute and report to me the tidings of the battle. O Mādhava—will my brothers be safe today?”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the moral-psychological weight of war: when outcomes turn grim, even seasoned warriors become silent and downcast, and truthful reporting gives way to fear and sorrow. It underscores how adharma-driven conflict breeds anxiety and erodes confidence and openness within one’s own camp.
Sañjaya observes a change in the battlefield atmosphere: soldiers who used to salute and deliver updates now avoid him, returning with lowered faces and no report. He interprets this as a bad sign and anxiously asks Mādhava (Kṛṣṇa) whether his brothers will remain safe that day.