Shloka 13
अर्जुनस्य रथाश्वमोचनं कृष्णस्याश्वसेवा च
Arjuna’s Horses Freed; Krishna’s Equine Service
एवं विलपमानं तं भयाद् व्याकुलचेतसम् । आत्मकार्यगरीयस्त्वाद् राजा दुर्योधनो5ब्रवीत्,भयसे व्याकुलचित्त होकर विलाप करते हुए जयद्रथसे राजा दुर्योधनने अपने कार्यकी गुरुताका विचार करके इस प्रकार कहा--
evaṁ vilapamānaṁ taṁ bhayād vyākulacetasam | ātmakāryagarīyastvād rājā duryodhano 'bravīt |
Sañjaya said: Seeing him lamenting thus, his mind shaken by fear, King Duryodhana—judging his own objective to be of greater urgency—spoke to him accordingly. The verse highlights how, amid crisis, Duryodhana prioritizes strategic self-interest over compassion for the frightened ally, turning grief into a prompt for action in the war’s moral pressure-cooker.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores a wartime ethical tension: a leader may respond to another’s fear not with solace but by prioritizing the perceived urgency of his own mission. It illustrates how strategic necessity can eclipse empathy, revealing the moral cost of self-driven leadership in conflict.
Jayadratha is depicted as fearful and lamenting. Sañjaya reports that Duryodhana, considering his own objective more pressing, addresses him—setting up Duryodhana’s attempt to redirect Jayadratha from panic toward the Kaurava plan in the ongoing battle.